S.  2.$. 20., 


Jfeom  thr  ICthrarg  of 

professor  Irttjamttt  Hrrrimtriiigr  HarMfc 

18equeatijp&  bg  him  to 
tf|e  ffiihrarg  of 

Princeton  Sljrologtral  S’rnttnarg 

BT  690  .  K4 13  1891**  * 

Keller,  J.  A.  1840-1916. 

Saint  Joseph's  help,  or. 

Stories  of  the  power  and 


SAINT  JOSEPH’S  HELP; 


OR, 

STORIES  OF  THE  POWER  AND  EFFICACY 
OF  ST.  JOSEPH'S  INTERCESSION. 


FROM  THE  GERMAN  OF 

/ 

THE  VERY  KEY.  J.  A.  KELLER,  D.  D., 

Priest  of  the  Diocese  of  Freibourg, 

Author  of  “Angeli  Dei:  Stories  of  Guardian  Angels. 


NEW  YORK: 

THE  VATICAN  LIBRARY  CO. 

84  Church  Street. 

1891. 


ST.  JOSEPH’S  HELP. 


I.— LEGENDS. 

The  Theee  Lilies  of  St.  Joseph. 

Night  was  slowly  giving  place  to  day  ;  that  night 
in  which  the  holy  Foster  Father  of  our  Lord  had 
received  the  order  to  fly  into  Egypt,  and  the  morn¬ 
ing  sun  had  already  begun  to  tinge  with  its  ruddy 
glow  the  mountain-peaks  of  Idumea. 

Hurriedly  and  silently  the  Holy  Family  pursued 
their  way  along  the  western  shore  of  the  Dead  Sea, 
directing  their  steps  towards  Egypt.  The  Divine 
Child  slept;  Mary  and  Joseph  communed  in  secret 
prayer  with  God. 

After  a  while,  the  Holy  Virgin,  sweetly  turning 
herself  to  Joseph,  said  : 

“  Dear  Spouse,  how  it  grieves  me  that  on  account 
of  the  Child  and  His  Mother  thou  shouldst  have 
to  undertake  so  wearisome  a  journey  and  bear  so 
heavy  a  burden.” 

“  Grieve  not,”  replied  Joseph ;  11  as  for  me,  I 
thiik  with  wonder  on  the  honor  that  God  has  done 
me  in  choosing  me  as  His  instrument  in  this  great 
undertaking  ;  truly,  I  know  not  what  I  have  done 
to  deserve  it.” 

At  these  words  the  Divine  Child  awoke,  and 
looked  up  into  Joseph’s  face  with  eyes  beaming 
with  love  and  confidence;  then,  raising  Himself  up 


2 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


on  the  lap  of  His  Mother,  He  bowed  downwards  as 
if  looking  and  seeking  for  something  on  the  earth. 
On  the  wayside  grew  white  lilies,  yet  glistening 
with  the  morning  dew.  The  holy  Joseph  under¬ 
stood  the  meaning  of  the  Child’s  movement,  and 
stooping,  he  plucked  one  of  the  lilies  and  offered  it 
to  Him.  He  stretched  out  His  little  hand  to  re¬ 
ceive  it,  showing  His  childlike  joy,  as  He  held  it 
up  first  to  His  holy  Mother  and  then  to  Joseph. 
At  last  He  held  it  out  to  His  Foster-Father,  and 
gave  it  to  him,  with  a  look,  as  if  He 
would  say:  “Dost  thou  know  now  why 
God  has  chosen  thee  as  His  instrument?” 
This  lock  flooded  Joseph’s  heart  with  glad¬ 
ness,  for  it  filled  his  soul  with  a  divine  grace,  which 
gave  him  so  intimate  an  understanding  of  tha 
beauty  and  sublimity  of  the  angelical  virtue  of 
chastity,  and  of  purity  of  soul,  that  his  heart  beat, 
and  his  whole  body  trembled  with  joy  ;  he  held  up 
the  lily  against  the  glittering  rosy  light  of  the 
morning  sun,  and  exclaimed  :  “  O,  beautiful  lily ! 
yet  how  far  more  beautiful  the  virtue  of  which  thou 
art  the  emblem  !  O,  lily  of  pure  heart !  Ten  such 
lilies  in  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  and  they  would  yet 
ba  standing  in  the  midst  of  verdant  plains!  O, 
marvellous  justice  of  God  against  the  abominations 
of  sin  !  Now,  in  this  hour,  I  understand  His  ways 
and  the  secrets  of  His  judgments  !”  Thus  spoke 
the  holy  Joseph  in  the  fulness  of  his  heart,  as  he 
walked  onwards,  and  beheld  the  drear  and  funereal 
aspect  of  t  .e  Dead  Sea  ard  its  fea:ful  shores. 

Just  then  a  figure  appeared  in  the  far  distance ; 
Joseph’s  heart  trembled  as  he  thought  of  possible 


8T.  JOSEPH  S  HELP. 


3 


danger  for  the  Mother  and  Child,  but,  as  he 
arpro3ch*=d  nearer,  he  noticed  that  the  habiliments 
were  those  of  a  woman.  “Unclean!  unclean!” 
cried  a  shrill  and  mournful  voice;  )t  was  that  of  a 
poor  lep'r,  driven  out  from  the  abodes  of  men. 
Her  face  was  horribly  disfigured,  and  her  body  was 
c^d  in  filthy  and  ragged  garments  ;  standing  at  a 
distance  on  the  wayside  she  begged  an  alms  as  they 
passed.  Joseph  handed  the  lily  to  the  Chi*d  to 
to  hold,  whilst  he  drew  out  a  small  coin  to  g‘ve  to 
the  poor  lepsr ;  the  holy  Virgin  loosened  a  little 
kerchief  which  she  had  wrapped  round  the  Divine 
Child  to  protect  him  from  the  cold  night  wind,  and 
handed  it  also  to  the  distressed  creature.  Then 
Joseph,  looking  at  the  Child,  said ;  “  Thou  alar. 
Little  One,  w  uld  certainly  wish  to  give  something 
to  this  poor  beggar,  if  Thou  wert  not  so  poor  Thy¬ 
self.”  Thereupon  the  Divine  Child  held  out  the 
lily  to  the  woman,  fixing  at  the  same  time  upon  her 
as  earnest  but  reproachful  look. 

“See,”  paid  Joseph,  “what  the  Little  One  gives 
thee  ;  come  and  take  it.” 

The  woman  took  the  lily  from  the  hand  of  the 
Child. 

Can  a  leper  weep  ?  or  has  not  the  frigh’ful 
disease  dried  up  and  destroyed  the  fount  of 
tears?  Be  that  as  it  may,  as  this  poor  leper  took 
the  lily,  fears  streamed  from  her  eyes,  and  a 
convulsive  sobbing  shook  h?r  whole  frame;  she 
trembled  as  she  staggered  to  one  side,  and 
stood  watching  the  fugitives  as  they  pursued 
their  way  until  the  distance  hid  them  from  her 
sight. 


4 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


She  had  been  a  great  sinner,  and  the  leprosy  was 
the  punishment  of  her  evil  and  dissipated  life. 
The  Divine  Child  had  given  her  more  than  the  lily : 
with  it  He  had  bestowed  upon  her  the  grace  to  see 
and  acknowledge  her  hateful  guilt,  and  with  repent¬ 
ance  came  the  memory  of  the  long-lost  innocence 
of  her  childhood.  As  her  eyes  lost  s;ght  of  the  re¬ 
treating  figures,  she  covered  her  face  with  the  ker¬ 
chief  the  most  holy  Virgin  had  given  her,  ard, 
throwing  herself  on  the  ground,  gave  way  to  a  flcod 
of  tears,  weeping  as  if  her  heart  would  break. 

The  day  had  begun  to  decline,  the  western  sky 
was  flooded  with  a  gold  and  crimson  tint ;  but  as 
the  sun  sank  below  the  horizon,  a  cool,  fresh  wind 
blew  from  the  west. 

The  Holy  Mother  pressed  her  little  one  closer  to 
her  bosom,  and  drew  her  blue  mantle  tighter 
around  Him  ;  she  missed  now  the  protecting  ker¬ 
chief  which  in  the  morning  she  had  given  to  the 
poor  leper.  Joseph  noticed  her  with  pain,  and 
there  came  a  temptation  to  the  poor,  tired,  house¬ 
less,  anxious  man,  and  he  sighed  as  he  said : 

“It  will  be  very  hard,  O  Mary,  for  poor  fugitives 
and  exiles  such  as  we,  to  have  to  find  food,  clothing 
and  shelter.  Soon  the  little  sum  of  money  we 
brought  with  us  will  be  expended  ;  perhaps  before 
we  reach  our  destination  we  shall  be  penniless ; 
and  even  when  we  reach  the  term  of  our  fl  ght, 
what  means  shall  we  find  to  provide  for  the  future? 
Poor  Mother — poor  Child !” 

Anx:ously  the  Mother  looked  at  her  Virgin 
Spouse,  but  she  had  to  turn  quickly  to  the  Child, 
Who  strove  to  raise  Ilimrelf  in  her  arms,  and  was 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


5 


stretching  out  His  little  hands  towards  the  ground. 

Again  were  the  wayside  lilies  the  object  of  His 
desires,  and  again  did  the  holy  Joseph  pick  one, 
and,  as  he  handed  it  to  Him,  he  received  one  of 
ihese  wonderful  looks  from  His  Divine  eyes  that 
penetrated  the  inmost  depths  of  his  soul. 

“  Pardon,  pardon,  Mary !”  he  exclaimed ;  “  I  have 
indeed  spoken  foolishly.”  And  he  began  at  once 
to  sing  the  90th  Psalm  :  “  He  that  dwelleth  in  the 
help  of  the  Most  High,  shall  abide  under  the  pro¬ 
tection  of  the  God  of  Heaven.” 

As  he  continued  it,  the  Ohild  fell  asleep  again 
in  his  Mother’s  arms  ;  and  before  Joseph  had  con¬ 
cluded  the  Psalm,  he  espied  in  the  distance  a  little 
lowly  hut,  or  cottage,  towards  which  he  at  once  di¬ 
rected  his  steps,  resolving  to  seek  there  a  shelter 
during  the  night  for  the  Mother  and  Child. 

The  inmates  of  the  cottage,  though  they  accorded 
the  usual  Eastern  hospitality,  looked  gloomily  at 
them  as  they  entered ;  and  the  master  of  the  house, 
approaching  Joseph,  said  with  a  surly  voice  : 

“  Here  you  may  indeed  enter ;  but  poverty  and 
misery  are  the  only  dwellers  in  this  abode,  and 
despair  is  already  on  the  threshold !” 

“  My  friend,”  answered  the  holy  Joseph,  as  he 
showed  him  the  lily  which  he  held  with  the  pil¬ 
grim’s  staff  in  his  hand,  behold  this  flcwer  of  the 
field  ;  it  soweth  not,  neither  does  it  reap  ;  it  builds 
itself  no  shelter,  and  yet  it  always  holds  its  beauti¬ 
ful  head  erect  to  the  sun;  care  never  bows  it  to 
the  earth.  Raise  up  also  youi  head,  for  the  same 
God  Who  cares  for  this  lily,  cares  also  for  you.” 

The  impression  these  words  produced  was  most 


6 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


wonderful,  for  the  grace  of  the  little  Christ-Child 
was  with  them  and  with  the  second  lily  of  St. 
Joseph. 

The  Holy  Family  rested  for  the  night  under  their 
sheltering  roofs,  and  spent  the  evening  in  conver¬ 
sation  full  cf  comfort  and  consolation  for  those 
who  had  received  them.  In  the  morning  they  rose 
early  to  continue  their  flight,  but  before  leaving, 
their  host  begged  of  St.  Joseph  the  Ifly  that  he 
held  in  his  hand,  and  refused  all  other  payment  or 
gifts.  He  placed  the  lily  in  a  vase  of  water,  and 
ss  long  as  he  lived  it  never  faded  or  withered. 

H  is  it  ever  chanced  to  you,  dear  reader,  at  any 
time  to  stand  in  a  garden,  as  the  evening  shadows 
fell  and  the  sombre  veil  of  twilight  began  to  en¬ 
velop  the  earth  as  with  a  pall  ?  At  such  a  moment 
the  lily  flower  appears  to  stand  out  like  a  corona  of 
light,  its  glistening  white  petals  breaking  through 
the  darkness. 

Well,  then,  listen  now  to  the  story  of  Joseph’s 
third  lily. 

Many  dajs  had  passed  since  St.  Joseph  had  le^t 
the  lily  in  the  hands  of  the  owner  of  the  desert 
dwelling,  yet  still  the  fugitives  were  hastening  on 
their  weary  way.  They  were  now  nearing  the 
frontier  of  Egypt ;  already  from  a  curve 
in  the  road  they  had  seen  in  the  dis¬ 
tance  the  dome  of  an  idotatrous  temple, 
risicg  from  the  midst  of  dwelling-houses,  and 
shining  as  it  caught  the  rays  of  the  setting  eun.  But 
the  holy  J oseph  had  a  very  pad  heart,  all  the  more 
because,  as  the  sun  set,  a  thick  darkness  began  to 
spread  itself  over  the  earth,  and  it  became  almost 


ST.  JOSEPHS  HELP. 


7 


impossible  to  distinguish  the  path  they  had  to  take. 
Laying  his  hand  on  the  bridle  of  the  ass  which  car¬ 
ried  their  little  burdens,  he  sighed  and  said: 

“  If  only  we  had  a  torch !  ” 

Just  then  the  Divine  Child,  Who  was  sleeping  in 
His  Mother’s  arms,  awoke,  and  stretching  out  His 
little  hands,  seemed  to  seek  something  from  the 
ground.  At  once  the  holy  Joseph  looked  and  saw 
an  object  white  and  shining,  gleaming  amid  the  dark 
green  on  the  wayside.  Again  it  was  a  lily.  He 
plucked  it,  and  handed  it  to  the  Child,  but  as  he 
gave  it  into  His  hands,  behold !  from  the  corolla  of 
the  flower  a  dazzling  white  light  streamed  forth, 
which  spread  itself  all  around,  whilst  a  small  white 
Host,  with  a  tiny  shining  red  cross  in  its  centre, 
floated  just  above  the  flower  petals. 

The  clear,  bright  light  fell  upon  the  pathway, 
and  made  the  journey  now  quite  easy.  The  Divine 
Child  held  out  the  wonderful  lily-torch  to  St.  Jo¬ 
seph,  who,  with  renewed  courage  and  joy,  pursued 
his  way,  but  silently,  for  a  holy  fear  and  astonish¬ 
ment  possessed  his  whole  soul. 

This  light,  which  was  a  mysterious  revelation  of 
that  Food  of  Angels  wherewith  the  Lord  feeds  the 
souls  of  men,  served  as  a  guide  for  the  Divine  Child, 
on  His  entrance  into  that  land  where  of  old  the 
people  of  God  had  been  fed  with  heavenly  manna  ; 
and  this  image  of  the  most  adorable  Sacrifice, 
through  which  the  Name  of  God,  as  the  Prophet 
had  foretold,  “  should  be  great  among  the  nations,” 
entered,  shining  brightly,  into  the  idolatrous  city, 
to  oppose  its  light  to  the  darkness  of  the  idola¬ 
trous  worship  of  an  unbelieving  people. 


8 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


Boon  the  Holy  Family  found  themselves  in  tbe 
midst  of  an  Egyptian  city,  and  were  passing  before 
the  great  temple  whose  shining  dome  they  had  be¬ 
held  from  the  distance.  The  light  from  the  radi¬ 
ant  lily  fell  on  the  huge  misshapen  and  grotesque 
idol,  carved  in  white  marble,  that  was  in  front  of 
the  temple  gates,  and  in  this  pure  light  it  was 
changed  into  an  object  black  and  murky  as  the  dark 
night. 

A  priest  of  the  idol  stood  beside  it,  and  a  ray 
of  the  Divine  light  of  grace  fell  also  upon 
his  heart;  raising  his  voice  he  exclaimed  pro¬ 
phetically  : 

“  Oh  Lily,  thou  hast  come  to  conquer  the  Lotos  !”* 

Then  turning  to  the  Holy  Family,  he  said : 

“  Strangers,  whomsoever  you  may  be,  a  God  is 
with  you,  and  His  light  enlightens  you,”  and  im¬ 
mediately  closing  the  gates  of  the  temple,  he  dis¬ 
appeared  into  its  dark  recesses. 

The  Holy  Family  had  in  the  meantime  moved 
onwards,  and  reached  a  house  before  whose  entrance 
a  lamp  was  burning.  Here  the  lily  suddenly 
emitted  aflame  of  marvellous  brilliancy,  illuminating 
the  whole  house  as  it  stood  before  them.  The  holy 
Joseph  took  this  for  a  sign  that  he  should  here 
seek  and  find  shelter.  He  accordingly  approached 
the  door,  and  in  this  domicile  the  Holy  Family 
found  a  home  at  the  commencement  of  their  sojourn 
in  the  idolatrous  land  of  Egypt.  But  the  li'y  be¬ 
came  invisible;  it  had  been  taken  by  an  angel’s 
hand  and  laid  on  the  Mount  of  Calvary. 

This,  dear  reader,  is  the  parable  of  the  three 


*  The  lotus  Sower  was  the  symbol  of  Egyptian  idolatry. 


8T.  Joseph's  help. 


9 


lilies  of  St.  Joseph,  but  you  must  note  well  its  sig¬ 
nification,  and  remember  the  following  lessons  that 
it  teaches. 

A  pure  heart  is  the  greatest  of  treasures,  and  a 
pledge  of  predestination;  its  loss  the  most  de¬ 
plorable  misery  and  unhappiness. 

A  pure  heart  is  a  source  of  consolation  and  con¬ 
fidence  in  God. 

A  pure  heart  is  victorious  over  the  devil,  idolatry 
and  superstition,  and  is  the  special  and  intimate 
friend  of  Jesus  in  the  Holy  Sacrament  of  the  Altar. 

St.  Joseph  beseeches  you  never  to  forget  these 
lessons. 

THE  WILL  AND  ITS  EXECUTOR. 

A  Legend  from  the  Spanish  of  Fernan  Caballero. 

Pay  attention,  dear  children,  and  I  will  tell  you  a 
story ;  a  story  which,  perhaps,  may  never  really 
have  happened,  but  which  is  well  known  and  often 
related,  and  which,  even  if  it  never  occurred,  will 
do  both  your  heart  and  your  soul  good  to  hear. 

Once  upon  a  time  there  lived  a  pious 
honest  man,  who  worked  as  a  carpenter ;  he 
was  with  his  whole  heart  devoted  to  St. 
Joseph,  the  patron  of  his  trade.  St.  Joseph  was, 
as  you  know,  a  carpenter,  and  therefore,  from  the 
earliest  times,  all  mechanics,  and  especially  car¬ 
penters,  have  honored  him  as  their  model  and 
patron. 

The  Capuchin  Fathers  once  gave  an  order  to  our 
carpenter  to  make  an  altar  for  the  chapel  of  St. 
Joseph  in  their  convent,  and  he  succeeded  so  well 
that  the  whole  town  ca^e  to  see  it,  and  admired  the 


10  &T.  Joseph's  help. 

skilful  manner  in  which  he  had  handled  his  tools, 
especially  in  the  delicate  carvings,  in  which  he  had 
represented  in  a  most  lively  and  touching  manner 
the  humility  and  love  of  the  Man-God,  Who  had 
not  disdained,  during  His  mortal  life,  the  humble 
dwelling  of  a  poor  but  industrious  carpenter. 

It  is  one  of  the  peculiarities  of  men  that  things 
which  they  can  see  with  their  eyes  make  more  im¬ 
pression  on  them  than  those  things  which  they 
hear,  and  this  is  one  of  the  reasons  why  our  holy 
Mother  the  Church  gives,  and  has  given  from  the 
earliest  times,  so  much  encouragement  to  all  visible 
representations  in  her  ten* pies  of  the  mysteries  of 
our  holy  faith. 

I.— LEGENDS. 

But  to  return  to  our  carpenter  :  As  years  rolled 
on,  trouble  in  many  shapes  v'sited  his  little  home ; 
first  his  wife  died,  then  he  lost  all  his  children  ex¬ 
cept  one  daughter,  he  himself  fell  sick,  and  as  ke 
had  grown  old  and  weak,  he  could  do  very  little 
work.  At  last  he  became  completely  blind,  and 
consequently  incapable  of  earning  anything  for  his 
subsistence. 

He  bore  all  these  trials  and  contradictions  with 
the  greatest  patience  and  resignat  on  to  the  Divine 
Will,  never  losing  his  confidence  in  God,  or  his 
trust  in  his  holy  patron,  St.  Joseph. 

His  good  daughter  nursed  and  tended  him  as 
well  as  she  could,  but  this  left  her  very  little  time 
to  spare  in  which  to  earn  anything  for  their  sup¬ 
port  ;  consequently,  she  was  obliged  to  part,  one 
by  one,  with  all  the  little  furniture  and  necessaries 


6T.  JOSEPHS  HELP. 


11 


in  the  house,  in  order  to  provide  food  and  fuel ;  so 
that  in  a  short  time  they  were  reduced  to  the  ex¬ 
tremity  of  poverty  and  distress. 

In  this  sorrowful  condition  the  old  carpenter  felt 
his  end  approaching,  and,  desiring  to  die  as  a  good 
Christian,  he  received  ail  the  last  Sacraments,  and 
prepared  his  soul  for  its  passage  into  eternity. 

Then,  calling  his  daughter,  he  desired  her  to  go 
and  fetch  a  notary,  in  order  that  he  might  make  his 
last  will  and  testament. 

“  You  want  to  make  a  will,  father !  ”  exclaimed 
the  astonished  girl.  “  Why !  what  have  you  that 
you  can  leave  ?  Are  we  not  already  reduced  to  the 
direst  poverty  and  want?  ” 

“  Never  mind,  my  daughter,  but  go  quickly  and 
do  as  I  bid  thee.” 

“  The  fever  is  making  him  delirious,”  said  the 
poor  girl,  wringing  her  hands  in  her  distress  ;  but 
still  she  dared  not  disobey,  so  she  went  out  to  fulfil 
his  wishes. 

The  notary,  on  hearing  her  request,  raised  his 
eyes  with  surprise,  and  smiling,  said  to  himself : 

“  Ah!  this  old  carpenter,  who  appeared  so  poor, 
has,  after  all,  money  to  leave ;  he  must  have  become 
a  miser  in  his  old  age,  and  his  poverty  has  only  been 
a  cloak  to  hide  his  treasures.  Well,  a  death-bed 
brings  many  secrets  to  light.  We  shall  see  now  to 
whom  he  will  leave  all  that  he  has  saved !  ” 

Saying  this,  he  put  on  his  hat,  and,  taking  up  a 
roll  of  parchment,  ink  and  a  pen,  he  prepared  to 
follow  the  girl  to  the  old  m^n’s  house. 

After  a  few  minutes’  walk  he  arrived  at  the  poor 
cottage,  a^d  entered  the  room  v»here  the  old  car- 


12 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


pnter  lay  sick;  a  wretched  bed  and  one  chair  con¬ 
stituted  the  whole  of  the  furniture  of  the  apart¬ 
ment. 

The  notary  seated  himself,  and  having  unrolled 
and  spread  out  his  parchment  on  the  bed,  as  there 
was  no  table,  he  took  out  his  pen,  dipped  it  in  the 
ink,  and  wrote  the  usual  form  at  the  head  of  the 
will : 

“  In  the  Name  of  the  Most  Holy  Trinity.” 

Then  he  looked  up  to  the  old  man  for  his  in¬ 
structions  how  to  proceed.  The  carpenter,  with  an 
effort,  raised  himself  a  little,  and,  in  a  weak  and 
tremblirg  voice,  began  to  dictate; 

“I  bequeath  my  soul  to  God,  my  body  to  the 
earth,  and  I  name  my  holy  Patr  on,  St.  Joseph,  as 
the  guardian  of  my  daughter  and  executor  of  this 
my  last  will  and  testament.” 

Having  finished  these  words,  he  sank  back  on  his 
pillow,  and  with  one  deep  sigh  his  soul  passed 
peacefully  into  eternity. 

The  notary,  who  had  expected  something  very 
different  from  this,  rose  in  consternation  and  af¬ 
fright.  Without  noticing  the  poor,  weeping  girl, 
who  knelt  beside  the  bed,  he  rapidly  collected  to¬ 
gether  his  parchment,  ink  and  pen,  and  left  the 
house  more  speedily  than  he  had  entered. 

The  poor  daughter  now  felt  all  the  bitterness  of 
her  loss.  Sbe  was  a]one  in  the  world,  and  so  poor 
that  she  knew  not  how  she  should  be  able  to  pro¬ 
vide  a  shroud  and  coffio,  and  all  that  was  requisite 
for  the  Christian  burid  of  her  poor  father.  Clasp¬ 
ing  her  hands  together,  she  bowed  her  head  on  the 
bed  and  wept  unrestrainedly. 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


13 


So  she  remained  until  she  was  aroused  by  a  knock 
at  the  door.  She  rose  to  open  it,  and  a  nobl9  but 
aged  man  with  a  most  kind  and  friendly  counten¬ 
ance  entered  the  little  room.  He  wore  a  plain  coat, 
was  wrapped  in  a  dark  mantle,  and  carried  a  staff 
in  his  hand. 

«•» 

“Comfort  thyself,  my  child,”  he  said  to  the  deso¬ 
late  girl;  “be  not  troubled;  I  will  take  care  of 
everything ;  leave  all  to  me,  and  I  will  see  all  pre¬ 
pared  for  your  father’s  burial.” 

Then,  after  a  few  more  words  of  encouragement 
and  comfort,  he  went  out,  and  soon  again  returned 
with  men  bearing  a  coffia  and  all  that  was  needful, 
The  priests  also  came,  and  on  the  next  day  the  poor 
carpenter  had  an  honorable  and  Christian  funeral. 
The  noble  stranger  himself  followed  the  coffin  to 
the  grave  as  chief  mourner,  and  remained  to  see  the 
body  consigned  to  the  earth. 

After  having  performed  this  last  service  for  the 
deceased,  the  stranger  turned  his  steps  to  one  of 
the  principal  streets  of  the  town  and  knocked  for 
admission  at  a  house  of  a  rich  and  well  known 
merchant.  He  announced  himself  as  one  who  had 
important  business  to  transact,  and  when  the  mer¬ 
chant  came  to  him  he  at  once  said: 

“Do  you  remember  a  severe  storm  at  sea,  which 
you  encountered  a  few  years  ago,  off  the  coast  of 
Spain,  in  which  you  were  in  great  danger  of  losing 
not  only  your  vessel  and  merchandise,  but  also 
your  life,  and  the  lives  of  all  the  crew?  ’ 

“Yes,  I  remember  it  well,”  answered  the  as¬ 
tonished  merchant,  “but  how  could  you  kno  w  of  it?” 

“Do  you  also  remember,”  continued  the  stranger. 


14 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


‘  a  vow  you  then  made,  that  if  God  would  save  you’ 
from  that  peril,  you  would  seek  out  the  poorest  and 
most  virtuous  maiden,  and  espouse  her  as  your  wife?” 

“How!”  exclaimed  the  slill  more  surprised  mer¬ 
chant,  “how  is  it  possible  that  you  should  know 
this?  Never  in  my  life  have  I  mentioned  to  any 
person  the  secret  promise  I  made  to  God!” 

“Have  you  still  the  intention  to  fulfil  your  vow?’ 
continued  the  venerable  stranger,  without  noticing 
the  question  of  the  other. 

“  Yes,”  he  replied,  “  yes ;  I  am  grieved  that  I 
have  so  long  delayed  to  perform  what  I  promised 
to  God.” 

“  Will  you  then  allow  me  to  introduce  you  to  the 
poorest,  but  also  to  the  most  virtuous  maiden  in 
this  town  ?” 

“  By  all  means ;  my  heart  feels  so  strange  and 
yet  so  strong  a  feeling  of  confidence  in  you,  that  I 
am  resolved  to  be  guided  in  this  matter  entirely  by 
your  counsel  and  advice.” 

The  next  morning  the  merchant,  accompanied  by 
the  robl©  stranger,  went  to  the  dwelling  of  the 
desolate  and  bereaved  daughter.  The  poor  girl 
was  in  the  greatest  distress,  for  already  the  landlord 
1  ad  given  her  notice  to  leave,  as  he  feared  she 
would  be  unable  to  pay  the  rent  for  the  house. 

“  Weep  not,  my  child,”  said  her  unknown  bene¬ 
factor,  “you  need  have  no  anxiety  for  the  future; 
see,  this  gentleman  who  has  come  with  me,  he  will 
take  care  of  you.  He  is  good  and  pious,  and 
blessed  with  worldly  means  ;  he  is  willing  to  marry 
you,  and  as  his  wife  he  will  protect  and  support 
you.” 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


15 


The  maiden  willingly  agreed  to  this  proposal, 
and  all  the  necessary  arrangements  for  the  betrothal 
were  made. 

When  the  time  of  mourning  had  elapsed  the  mar¬ 
riage  took  place  with  much  rejoicing  and  solemnity, 
and  as  all  were  assembled  at  the  wedding  feast,  the 
newly-married  pair  begged  of  their  benefactor,  who 
was  Bitting  in  a  friendly  manner  in  their  midst,  that 
he  would  be  pleased  to  tell  them  who  he  was,  in 
order  that  they  might  know  to  whom  they  owed  so 
many  benefits. 

The  venerable  stranger  rose,  and  with  a  sweet 
and  pleasant  smile  thus  addressed  all  who  were 
present : 

“I  am  Joseph,  who  received  from  God  the  grace 
and  dignity  of  being  the  husband  and  guardian  of 
Mary,  and  the  nursing  Father  and  protector  of  the 
Divino  Child.  Thy  pious  father,  my  daughter,  con¬ 
secrated  himself  and  his  whole  life  to  my  honor, 
service  and  devotion,  and  on  his  death-bed  he  ap¬ 
pointed  me  the  executor  of  his  last  will  and  testa¬ 
ment.  I  have  now  punctually  fulfilled  all.  His  good 
soul  I  presented  to  God,  his  body  I  committed  to 
the  earth,  and  as  thy  guardian  I  have  also  faith¬ 
fully  provided  for  thy  happiness  and  well  being.” 

Whilst  he  spoke  these  words  the  roof  of  the 
room  seemsd  to  opeo,  and  a  light,  brilliant  and 
rosy  £S  the  early  morning  sunrise,  and  clear  as  the 
day,  streamed  all  around.  In  the  midst  of  this 
heavenly  light  appeared  a  glorious  Child  who 
called.  Baying  : 

“ Come,  Father,  come ;  Mother  wants  you.” 

At  thr'a  vi  ion  the  pious  couple  and  all  the 


16 


st.  Joseph's  help. 


wedding  guests  s^nk  on  their  knees  and  rec?ived 
with  folded  hands  and  eyes  flowing  with  tears,  the 
blessing  of  the  Saint,  who,  wi  h  his  eyes  fixed  cn 
the  bride  and  oridegroom,  took  the  hand  of  the 
Divine  Child  and  held  it  raised  in  blessing  above 
them,  until  his  figure  disappeared,  and  was  lost  in 
the  blue  sky  of  the  heavens. 

Now,  dear  children,  what  do  you  think  of  this 
story  ? 

I  will  tell  you  one  thing,  which  it  ought  to  im¬ 
press  on  your  minds,  and  that  is  the  great  benefits 
which  God  bestows  on  those  who  have  confidence 
in  the  intercession  of  St.  Joseph. 

Dor  even  if  it  never  ready  occurred  exactly  as 
the  legend  has  come  down  to  us,  yet,  certainly,  it 
could  have  happened,  for  there  is  nothing  deroga¬ 
tory  in  it  to  the  honor  of  the  Saint,  and  it  brings 
before  us  the  consoling  thought  that  in  the  midst 
of  the  grievous  and  multiplied  trials  of  life,  God 
sends  us  help  through  the  means  and  intercession 
of  His  Saints,  only  we  must  remember  this  help 
may  not  always  be  granted  to  us  in  such  a  visible 
and  miraculous  manner. 

II.— ST.  JOSEPH  OUR  HELPER  IN  COR 
POR1L  NECESSITIES. 

1 — St.  J  sfph  is  a  Good  Prccurat  r. 

A.  more  holy  or  venerable  cloister  has  never  ex¬ 
isted  in  this  world,  than  that  in  the  litt’e  town  of 
Nazire4h,  eighteen  hundred  years  ago.  It  has  be¬ 
come  the  ideal  and  perfect  model  cf  all  religious 
communities,  and  its  three  holy  inhabitants,  Jesus, 


et.  Joseph’s  help. 


17 


Mary  and  Joseph,  are  the  mirror  of  all  souls  con¬ 
secrated  to  God,  which  they  ought  daily  to  con¬ 
template,  in  older  to  mould  according  to  these 
Divine  hearts,  their  own  life,  their  souls,  their  whole 
Learts. 

Yes,  truly,  this  poor  little  hut  of  Nazareth  has 
witnessed  in  their  highest  perfection  all  those  vir¬ 
tues  which  form  the  real  foundation  of  a  life  conse¬ 
crated  to  God.  Poverty,  chastity,  obedience,  morti¬ 
fication,  manual  labor,  humility  and  self-denial, 
charity  and  sacrifice,  piajer  and  contemplation;  all 
these  sweet  and  heavenly  flowers  have  never 
flourished  more  luxuriantly  or  beautifully  than  in 
the  house  of  Nazareth,  the  first  Christian  cloister 
upon  earth. 

The  head  of  this  little  community,  the  glorious 
St.  Joseph,  has  been  at  all  times  an  especial  friend, 
patron  and  protector  of  all  houses  and  souls  conse¬ 
crated  to  G:d,  and  still  to  this  day  often  manifests 
this  fatherly  predilection  in  a  remarkab'e  manner, 
even  tomelimes  condescending  to  werk  miracles  to 
prove  his  paternal  care  and  compassion  for  religious, 
when  suffering  distress  of  any  kind. 

The  following  simple  but  touching  anecdote  of 
the  Franco-German  war,  in  1870,  is  an  example  of 
his  kind  and  powerful  protection.  I  know  not  how 
it  is  that  amongst  all  the  instances  cf  blessing  con¬ 
ferred  by  St.  Joseph  in  these  our  times,  none  has 
impressed  me  more  than  the  occurrence  I  am  about 
to  relate. 

When  the  terrible  siege  of  Metz  began, 
there  was  a  large  and  flourishing  convent  be¬ 
longing  to  the  Dames  dia  Sacre  Coeur,  situ- 


18 


ST.  JOSEPHS  HELP. 


ated  in  the  surburbs  of  the  town.  They 
were  of  course  obliged  to  dismiss  all  their 
pupils,  and  ina* ead  of  these  innocent  children,  whom 
they  had  been  teaching  to  lead  goed  and  happy 
lives  in  piety,  diligence  and  peace,  they  were  forced 
to  harbor  and  feed  more  than  one  hundred  eoldiers. 

When,  at  last,  the  siege  was  over,  misery  and 
distre  s,  instead  of  being  also  at  an  end,  teemed 
then  only  to  begin  in  sad  earnest,  In  the  con¬ 
vent,  as  elsewhere,  even  the  necessaries  of  life  were 
wauling,  and  the  inmates  knew  not  how  to  obtain 
them.  But  instead  of  being  discouraged,  the  good 
Religious  placed  their  confidence  all  the  more  firmly 
in  God,  and  unanimously  resolving  to  give  them¬ 
selves  unreservedly  into  tli9  hands  of  St.  Joseph, 
they  with  childlike  simplicity  devised  the  following 
plan. 

During  recreation  hour  one  of  the  nuns  made  a 
sack,  into  wh  ch  she  placed  a  morsel  of  everything 
they  most  needed — a  potato,  a  bit  of  wood,  a  scrap 
of  bread,  a  tiny  bottle  of  oil,  etc. 

This  sack  w^s  then  laid  at  the  feet  of  St.  Joseph’s 
statue,  as  it  were,  to  make  the  Saint  fu  ly  and 
clearly  aware  of  their  wants. 

And  it  did  indeed  seem  as  if  his  tender  heart 
could  not  resist  this  appeal,  for  the  very  next  morn¬ 
ing  arrived  at  the  doer  of  the  convent  a  man  with 
two  heavily-laden  wagons  of  wood. 

The  Superioress,  who  naturally  k  ew  nothing 
about  it,  explained  to  the  good  man  that  she  had 
neither  ordered  wood,  not  had  she  any  money  to 
pay  for  it.  But  he  would  not  allow  him  elf  to  be 
tent  away,  and  began  to  unload  his  wagon,  answer- 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


19 


ing  that  he  had  been  desired  to  say :  “  This  is  the 
wood  of  St  Joseph,  destined  for  the  Convent  of 
the  Sacre  Coeir.” 

We  cannot  imagine  the  joyous  astonishment  of 
the  nuns  at  so  quick  and  generous  an  answer  to 
their  prayers  ? 

But  their  confidence  was  to  be  still  more  re¬ 
warded,  as  oil  was  much  wanting.  The  Sister 
whose  duty  it  was  each  evening  to  walk  all  through 
the  passages  and  rooms  of  the  large  house,  be¬ 
sought  S!;.  Joseph  to  supply  her  with  the  nec°s- 
sary  oil  for  the  lamp  which  she  was  obliged  to  carry 
with  her,  as  her  duty  occupied  more  than  half  an 
hour,  promising,  in  return,  that  if  he  would  grant 
her  request  she  would  burn  a  light  in  his  honor. 
And  now  behold  what  happened;  the  lit  le 
lamp,  which  ordinarily  needed  refilling  three  times 
in  the  week,  suddenly  appeared  to  become  inex¬ 
haustible. 

Night  after  night  did  this  good  Sister  make  her 
rounds,  carrying  the  wonderful  lamp,  which  always 
remained  so  full  that  not  a  drop  more  oil  could  be 
poured  into  it. 

When  this  miracle  first  became  known,  it  had 
already  continued  far  thirteen  months  ;  whether  it 
still  goes  on  I  cannot  say,  but  I  know  that  these 
are  only  two  out  of  the  many  other  signal  favors 
accorded  by  St,  Joseph  to  this  religious  house. 

2.  St.  Joseph  Helps  a  Missioner. 

During  the  time  that  I  was  building  my  church 
in  1879,  being  in  the  utmost  trouble  and  distress 
about  my  debts,  I  began  a  Novena  to  St.  Joseph 


20 


st.  Joseph's  help. 


nine  days  before  his  feast,  hoping  that  he  would 
help  me.  On  the  first  day  of  this  Novena,  I 
happened  to  visit  a  neighboring  brother  priest,  and 
told  him  that  I  was  now  sur©  of  the  morey  I  needed, 
as  I  had  placed  the  affair  in  the  hands  of  S'. 
Joseph.  This  otherwise  good  and  pious  priest 
answered  in  a  somewhat  satirical  tone :  “  Oh  !  than 
you  will  certainly  receive  something  handsam? — 
how  much  do  y^uwantf’  I  replied  that  I  must 
get  at  least  £75 :  and  then  the  conversation 
changed. 

I  continued  the  Novena,  but  obtained  notling 
At  las*,  on  the  eighth  day,  arrived  a  donation  of 
of  £7  10s.  The  next  day,  the  19  h  of  March,  was  a 
Sunday.  A'tsr  the  early  Mass,  I  sent  as  usual  to 
the  post  office,  and  julge  of  my  joy  and  gratitude 
to  find  there  awahirgme  a  money  order  for  £67 10s., 
just  the  sum  I  required  to  complete  the  £75.  Who 
could  have  felt  greater  happiness  thaa  I  did,  as  I 
laid  the  money  on  the  altar  b  fore  the  statue  of  St. 
Joseph,  and  thanked  our  Divine  Lord  and  His 
Foster-Father  for  their  wonderful  help. 

3.  St.  Joseph  in  America. 

A  filiation  of  D  minican  Nuns  from  the  convent 
of  Holy  Cross  at  E  tisbon,  in  Bavaria,  cam©  to 
America,  and  settled  in  Green  Bay,  in  the  north  of 
Wisconsin.  Their  litt’e  house  in  the  commence¬ 
ment  was  very  poor.  One  of  the  nuns  relates: 

Wa  were  at  that  time  so  poor  that  often 
we  had  neither  money,  nor  firing,  nor  even  food. 
Once,  on  a  very  cold  evening,  there  was  not  a  single 
piece  of  wood  in  the  house  to  light  fha  fire  for  the 


bt.  Joseph's  help. 


21 


next  morning.  We  did  again  that  night  what  we 
had  often  successfully  tried  in  like  emergencies ; 
before  we  went  to  bed  we  fervently  invoked  St. 
Joseph’s  assistance  in  our  distress. 

Suddenly,  at  midnight,  we  were  all  awaked  by  a 
heavy  rumbling  noise,  and  then  we  heard  sounds 
as  if  a  wagon  cf  wood  was  being  unloaded. 

Hastily  arising,  we  went  downstairs  and  found 
this  indeed  to  be  the  case.  A  Dutch  farmer  whom 
we  knew,  and  who  resided  about  four  miles  from 
our  house,  was  standing  there,  and  in  reply  to  our 
question,  how  he  happened  to  think  of  bringing  us 
wood  at  such  an  unusual  time,  especially  as  we  had 
not  ordered  it,  only  replied  that  he  could  not  tell — 
an  interior  voice  had  urged  him  to  set  oft  at  once, 
as  the  nuns  were  in  great  want  of  it. 

Whose  voice  could  this  have  been,  save  that  of 
our  powerful  protector  ? 


4. — Protection  of  St.  Joseph  in  Time  of  War. 

The  following  passage  we  have  extracted  from 
the  “  Propagateur  de  la  devotion  a  St.  Joseph  et  a 
la  Sainte  Famille,”  and  it  may  tend  to  ir crease 
more  and  more  the  devotion  to  the  glorious  Foster- 
Father  of  our  Lord : 

We  have  all  heard  of  the  devastations,  the  horri 
ble  sacrileges  and  the  murders  committed  in  those 
unfortunate  provinces  which  were  ravaged  by  the 
Garibaldians.  Their  rapacity  and  cruelty  were  es 
pecially  excited  against  religious  houses,  so  that  we 
do  not  hesitate  to  consider  the  following  fact  as  a 
miracle  worked  by  St.  Joseph. 


22 


ST.  Joseph's  help. 

A  Jesuit  Father  at  R?me  writes  on  the  28th  of 
October,  1867,  as  follows : 

“  Reverend  Father  : — An  invasion  of  Garibaldi- 
ans  was  hourly  expected.  Six  of  our  Fathers  re¬ 
turned  from  Tivoli  to  Rome,  eleven  others  remained 
in  Tivoli,  where  for  eight  days  they  were  surrounded 
by  the  brigands. 

“  In  their  distress,  the  Fathers  made  a  vow  to 
perform  a  solemn  Triduo  in  honor  of  St.  Joseph,  if 
he  would  vouchsafe  to  protect  them. 

“  The  vile  Garibaldians  had  occupied  all  the  re¬ 
ligious  houses  except  ore;  and  while  our  school¬ 
rooms  were  unoccupied,  except  by  the  comfortable 
beds  provided  for  the  Zouaves,  who  shortly  before 
had  been  quartered  there,  the  Garibaldians  were 
content  to  remain  in  the  neighborhood  with  no 
better  accommodation  than  straw  for  their  night’s 
lodgings. 

“  No  kind  of  contribution  was  demanded  from  us  ; 
indeed,  the  only  visit  they  made  us  was  in  order  to 
mat  e  an  offering  to  the  Father  Rector  of  a  book 
carried  off  from  the  library  of  the  seminary,  which 
they  had  plundered. 

“  On  the  last  day  of  their  stay,  they  sent  to  ask 
for  four  barrels  of  wine,  which  we  gave  them  ;  but, 
on  the  first  tidings  of  the  defeat  of  Montana,  they 
hastily  decamped,  leaving  our  four  barrels  quite  un¬ 
touched. 

“  On  Sunday  Father  M— —  came  with  a  deputa¬ 
tion  of  three  of  our  pupils  to  assist  at  the  condu¬ 
it  ion  of  our  three  days’  devotion  in  honor  of  St.  Jo¬ 
seph. 

“  The  Triduo  had  also  the  same  happy  result  as  a 


ST.  JOSEPHS  HELP. 


23 


successful  Mission,  for  on  the  last  day  there  were 
at  least  one  thousand  communicants. 

“  The  news  that  we  had  escaped  so  fortunately 
excited  the  greatest  astonishment  in  Rome,  and  His 
Holiness  Pope  Pius  IX.  vouchsafed  on  this  occasion 
to  grant  us  a  Plenary  Indulgence.” 

5.  St  Joseph  Protects  a  Religious  Community 

In  the  year  1871  the  population  of  Angoulenos 
was  in  great  ai  xlefy,  fearing  an  outbreak  of  the 
revolutionary  party  which  had  already  committed 
such  outrages  in  Marseilles  and  Ljons. 

The  religious  communities,  terrified  at  the  ap¬ 
proach  of  the  storm,  which  was  sure  to  fall  most 
fiercely  on  them,  implored  the  succor  and  pro¬ 
tection  of  Almighty  God  and  His  Saints. 

Among  these  communities  was  one  whose 
Superioress  had  a  great  devotion  to  St.  Joseph, 
and  after  offering  to  him  many  fervent  prayers 
for  the  safety  of  her  children,  she  felt  inspired 
to  fasten  to  the  outer  door  of  the  convent  a 
picture  of  St.  Joseph,  with  the  clearly  expressed 
intention  that  he  should  take  upon  himself  the 
office  of  guardian  of  the  community. 

She  did  this  with  such  complete  confidence  that 
afterwards,  in  order  to  encourage  the  Sisters,  she 
said  to  them  simply  : 

“Fear  nothing,  my  children ;  we  have  St.  Joseph 
as  our  sentinel  at  the  door  ;  under  such  protection 
all  is  secure.” 

By  and  oy  evening  came  on,  and  the  most  threat¬ 
ening  rumors  spread  through  the  town.  Suspi¬ 
cious-looking  people  were  seen  in  the  streets,  the 


24 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


crowd  continued  to  increase,  ard,  finally,  about  two 
hours  after  sunset,  a  savage  mob,  shouting,  blas¬ 
pheming,  vociferating  dreadful  threats  against 
the  Religious,  set  out  in  tho  direction  of  this  cor- 
vent,  which  it  was  feared  they  would  at  once  attack. 
And  these  forebodings  proved  only  too  true,  for 
the  miserable,  misguided  wretches  soon  began  their 
malicious  work.  With  heavy  stones,  clubs,  or  any 
other  implements  they  could  lay  hands  upon,  they 
endeavored  to  force  open  the  door. 

The  Bisters  had  already  gone  to  rest  with  the  ex¬ 
ception  of  the  Superioress  and  her  Mo4  her- Assist¬ 
ant,  and  they  kept  watch  in  prayer  before  an  image 
of  St.  Joseph.  But  at  the  first  sound  of  this  ter¬ 
rific  uproar,  one  and  all  started  out  of  bed,  and 
rushed  downstairs.  They  were  met  by  their  Su¬ 
perioress,  Mother  N— — ,  who  calmly  desired  them 
to  retire  to  rest  again,  assuring  them  that  the  honor 
of  their  heavenly  Protector  being  at  stake,  He 
would  be  sure  to  save  them. 

Supernatural  obedience  prevailed  over  human 
fear,  and  the  poor  nuns  retired  again  to  their  cells, 
although  to  sleep  “with  one  eye”  (as  they  say  in 
Germany),  was  out  of  the  question,  for  it  seemed  as 
if  all  the  demons  of  hell  were  yelling  and  raging 
around  their  convent. 

Meanwhile  Mother  N — —  went  down  to  the  hall 
or  vestibule  to  ascertain  how  the  work  of  destruc¬ 
tion  was  goirg  on  ;  anl  to  her  alarm  she  alreadv 
could  see  cracks  and  fissures  in  the  door.  Hastily 
returning  to  the  Oratory,  she  and  the  Mother-Assist¬ 
ant  again  most  fervently  commended  the  Community 
to  the  care  of  their  blessed  Guardian. 


bt.  Joseph’s  help. 


25 


Then  once  more  descending  the  staircase,  she 
found  this  time  the  fastenings  of  the  door  were 
almost  destroyed.  A  few  more  blows,  and  their 
savage  enemies  would  have  gained  an  entrance  to 
wreak  their  inhuman  vengeance  on  these  helpless 
victims. 

With  more  earnestness  than  ever,  yet  with  in¬ 
creased  confidence  and  peace  of  mind,  did  this 
heroic  religious  again  recommend  herself  to  St. 
Joseph ;  when  suddenly,  in  a  moment,  all  was 
silent ! 

What  does  it  mean?  Her  heart  answers  her  that 
her  prayers  have  been  heard.  She  rose  from  her 
knees,  and  for  the  third  time  went  downstairs, 
hardly  able  to  believe  her  own  ears,  and  thinking 
that  she  must  be  laboring  under  a  delusion.  But 
no  !  nothing  was  to  be  heard.  She  looked  at  the 
door,  and  to  her  surprise  saw  that  half  of  it  was  in 
ruins,  and  yet  no  one  had  entered.  She  dared  even 
to  go  farther,  and  looked  through  the  large  open¬ 
ing  into  the  street ;  but  where  lately  there  had 
been  an  immense  crowd,  now  not  a  single  human 
being  was  to  be  seen,  only  the  reflection  of  the 
street  gas-lamp  quietly  shining  on  the  opposite 
wall. 

“  Well,  Deo  gratias,  it  is  all  right,”  she  eaid  to 
herself,  “  now  we  must  thank  St.  Joseph.” 

No  sooner  said  than  done,  and  after  a  most  fer¬ 
vent  act  of  gratitude  and  thanksgiving,  both  she 
and  the  Mother- Assistant  went  peacefully  to  bed, 
and  we  trust  also  to  sleep. 

The  next  morning  dawned  clear  and  bright. 
Except  the  ruined  door,  no  sign  remained  of  the 


26  st.  Joseph's  help* 

1  st  eight’s  a^srrn,  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  this 
silent  but  eloquent  witness,  the  nuns  might  almost 
have  persuaded  themselves  that  the  events  of  the 
previous  few  hours  had  been  more  a  dreadful 
dream  than  a  reality. 

During  the  course  of  the  day  Mother  N - was 

ca7led  to  the  guest-room  to  see  a  pious  lady  who 
had  come  to  express  her  condolence  and  sympatvy 
with  the  Community  for  the  terrors  of  the  past 
n  ght.  Then  she  asked  the  Superioress  if  sbekn  w 
the  person  whose  appearance  had  frightened  away 
the  impious  crew  in  a  moment.  Mother  N- - re¬ 

plied  that  she  only  saw  that  the  dior  was  very 
nearly  destroyed,  but  that  she  knew  nothing  of  the 
person  whom  she  mentioned.  The  lady  then  re¬ 
lated  the  following  account : 

p  “  When  I  heard  that  awful  noise  I  went  to  the 
window  in  a  house  opposite  to  the  convent 
door,  to  observe  the  frightful  scene  from 
behind  a  shutter.  The  thought  of  the  in¬ 
evitable  sufferin  ?  for  these  Spouses  of  o:  r 
Divine  Lord  seemed  to  pierce  my  heart,  and  I 
had  hardly  the  strength  or  courage  to  look  on  at 
the  work  of  destruction.  As  I  gazed  I  saw  a  tall 
man  of  very  noble  deportment  and  venerable  ex¬ 
terior  come  out  of  the  little  street  which  bound? 
your  house  at  the  side.  With  slow  steps  he  ap¬ 
proached  the  crowd,  apparently  as  a  spectator, 
neither  speaking  a  word  nor  making  the  least  sign. 
But  truly  he  had  not  come  merely  to  look.  Scarcely 
w"s  his  presence  perceived  than  the  wretches  were 
struck  dumb,  and  seemed  as  if  they  could  net  hurry 
awaj  quickly  enough.  Surely  he  must  have  been  a 


BT  J  SIPh's  HELP. 


27 


man  of  great  importai  ce,  whose  mere  appearance 
was  sufficient  to  frighten  away  this  band  of  human 
devils.  Who  can  he  have  been?” 

“Let  us  thank  Divine  Providence,”  answered  the 
Superioress,  u  Whom  it  has  pleased  to  deliver  us  by 
the  means  of  St.  Joseph  from  such  an  extremity  of 
peril.” 

Go  to  St.  Joseph ;  in  his  hand  is  placed  the  wel¬ 
fare  of  nations  and  countries.  Entrust  therefore  all 
things  you  can  to  his  protection,  then  will  it  be  well 
with  you  in  time  and  in  eternity. 

6.  An  Obphanage. 

Not  long  ago,  the  good  Superioress  of  a  Fran¬ 
ciscan  Convent  was  in  great  distress.  We  do  not 
know  her  real  name,  so  we  will  call  her  Mother 
F - . 

Well,  her  trouble  was  this :  the  nuns  had  under¬ 
taken  the  care  of  an  orphanage,  and  they  endeavored 
to  bring  up  as  many  destitute  little  children  as 
possible,  in  the  love  and  fear  of  God.  But  for  some 
time,  from  different  causes,  they  had  been  growing 

poorer  and  poorer,  and  now  Mother  F - was  told 

that  she  must  send  away  some  of  her  much  loved 
orphans,  as  she  bad  not  the  means  of  supporting 
them.  Her  motherly  heart  bled  at  the  thought  of 
turning  these  little  ones  of  Christ  adrift  again  into 
a  world  of  sin  and  misery,  and  she  resolved  at  lea  fc 
to  delay  the  evil  hour  for  some  days ;  meanwh  le, 
with  the  most  ardent  fervor  imploring  the  assiat- 
asce  of  St.  Joseph,  the  powerful  protector  of  youth, 
to  guide  and  help  her  in  this  sad  difficulty. 

Her  request  was  not  made  in  vain.  The  very  next 


28 


bt.  Joseph's  help. 


Wednesday  an  unknown  person  sent  her  a  con¬ 
siderable  sum  of  money  for  the  sustenance  of  her 
poor  children.  The  Wednesday  following  arrived 
another  present  to  rejoice  the  heart  of  the  good 
Mother,  in  the  shape  of  a  large  parcel  of  old  clothing, 
sent  by  a  Tertiary  of  St.  Francis,  for  the  use  of  the 
orphans.  And,  on  the  third  Wednesday,  she  re¬ 
ceived  again  a  large  sum  of  money,  sent  quite  unex¬ 
pectedly  by  a  relation  of  one  of  the  children. 

7.  St.  Joseph,  Protector  op  School  Children. 

This  is  another  story  for  the  children.  It  was 
contributed  by  the  Sisters  of  St.  Joseph,  and  shows 
wonderfully  the  care  this  loving  Foster-Father  takes 
of  the  little  ones  entrusted  to  him. 

The  children  were  in  school  in  their  various 
classes,  when,  suddenly,  with  a  frightful  crash, 
down  fell  from  its  stand  a  very  large  and  heavy 
blackboard,  crushing  in  its  fall  several  of  the 
younger  children,  who  were  not  more  than  four  or 
five  years  of  age.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  the 
terror  of  the  nuns  in  charge  of  the  classes !  Trem¬ 
bling  with  fear,  they  raised  the  blackbe&rd,  expect¬ 
ing  to  find  the  children  killed,  or,  at  least,  seriously 
injured  ;  when,  to  their  intense  joy,  instead  of  the 
sight  they  dreaded,  they  beheld  rosy,  laughing  faces. 
The  little  ones  were  unhurt,  and  not  even  frightened 
under  their  heavy  wooden  cover,  thanks  to  Our 
Lord,  Our  Lady  and  Bt.  Joseph.  The  children  had 
been  each  day  taught  to  recommend  themselves  to 
their  care  and  protection  before  two  statues  placed 
on  pedestals  in  the  schoolroom. 

The  fact  just  related  was  of  more  consequence  in 


et  j:s*ph's  help. 


29 


Germany  than  it  would,  perhaps,  have  been  in  our 
country ;  as  there,  the  enemies  of  the  Church  are 
always  endeavoring  to  deprive  the  Religious  of  the 
education  of  youth,  replacing  them  by  seculars ; 
and  they  would  have  been  sure  to  avail  themselves 
of  such  an  accidental  circumstance  to  form  a  pre« 
text  for  the  expulsion  of  the  nuns  from  this  school. 


8.  St.  Joseph’s  Paschal  Candle. 

We  learned  the  following  from  the  “  Lilies  of 
Mary,”  in  Naples  : 

A  good  country  priest  who  had  a  great  devotion 
o  St.  Joseph  found  himself  one  day  in  trouble. 

The  feast  of  the  Ressurrecthn  of  Our  Lord  was 
at  hand,  and  he  had  neither  a  Paschal  candle  pre¬ 
pared,  nor  the  money  to  buy  one.  His  three  hun¬ 
dred  parishioners  were  so  poor,  that  all,  more  or 
less,  had  difficulty  to  support  themselves,  and  took 
with  thanks  the  smsdl  alms  which  their  pastor, 
nearly  as  poor  as  themselves,  was  able  to  offer  them. 
A  collection  in  church,  therefore,  would  have  been 
useless,  for  how  could  these  poor  people  give  what 
they  did  not  poEsees? 

Some  lime  previously,  this  good  priest  had  formed 
the  grand  idea  of  rebuilding,  without  any  assistance 
trom  his  flock,  the  parish  church,  which  was  falling 
into  ruins,  and,  like  Solomon,  to  erect  a  temple  to 
the  Most  High. 

His  determination  being  taken,  he  girded  his  pil¬ 
grim’s  dress,  and  knocked  first  at  the  dror 
cf  the  bishop.  A  lovingly-given  blessing, 
and,  as  a  foundation-stone,  a  sum  of  1,000  lire 


30 


st.  Joseph's  help. 


(about  £40),  were  the  result  of  this  visit.  A  better 
beginning  could  not  have  been  expected.  For  three 
years  did  this  zealous  priest  continue  his  laborious 
wanderings ;  often  over  muddy  roads  or  slippery 
ice,  through  rain  and  frost,  or  exposed  to  the  heat 
of  the  burning  sun,  or,  what  c^mes  still  harder  to 
human  nature,  to  humiliations  and  contradictions 
of  all  kinds.  After  enduring  all  these  trials  with 
the  greatest  patience  and  cheerfulness,  he  at  length 
returned  to  his  flock,  and  one  Sunday  morning  an¬ 
nounced  to  them  the  joyful  news  that  their  church 
was  about  to  be  rebuilt. 

Quickly  he  summoned  architects,  builders,  brick¬ 
layers,  masons,  carpenters,  painters— even  sculp¬ 
tors — and,  after  unheard-of  labors  and  numberless 
sacrifices,  the  courageous  priest  at  last  saw  his 
dream  realized.  The  Bishop  came  to  consecrate 
the  new  House  of  God,  and  the  Holy  Sacrifice  was 
offered  in  it. 

But  the  unwearied  zeal  of  the  good  pastor  created 
for  him  new  duties  and  fresh  toils.  He  now  longed 
to  gild  the  altar,  to  silver  the  candlesticks,  to  pro¬ 
cure  a  new  pulpit,  to  erect  a  confessional,  etc. 
Thus  the  little  money  which  remained  over  from 
the  building  was  soon  expended ;  and  so  it  came 
to  pass  that,  at  the  time  our  story  begun,  Easter 
was  fast  approaching,  his  purse  was  completely 
empty,  and  there  was  no  Paschal  candle ! 

What  could  be  done? 

Should  he  buy  one  on  credit? 

No,  decidedly  not !  It  was  one  of  his  inviolable 
principles  never  to  go  into  debt. 

So,  instead,  he  began  a  Novena  to  St.  Joseph, 


ET.  Joseph's  help. 


31 


under  whose  patronage  the  church  was  erected 
for  ought  not  that  glorious  Patriarch  to  aid  those 
who,  following  his  example,  provide  a  lodging  for 
that  Fame  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  Who  could  find  no 
shelter  in  the  city  of  Bethlehem? 

This  Novena  ended  on  the  25th  of  March,  which 
this  year  fell  on  Maundy  Thursday.  This  true 
imitator  of  the  poverty  of  Christ  had  now  nothing 
more  to  sell.  He  had  parted  with  his  watch ;  with 
his  silver  teapot,  which  had  been  given  to  him  by 
his  mothfr  on  the  day  of  hig  installation  as  parish 
priest ;  with  his  armchair,  the  gift  of  one  of  his 
great  friends  at  the  seminary ;  with  the  cushion, 
which  his  sister  had  so  beautifully  embroidered  for 
him ;  all-all  were  gone  with  the  exception  of  an 
ivory  crucifix,  the  legacy  of  a  dearly-beloved  friend ; 
all  had  been  turned  into  money  for  the  completion 
of  his  great  work. 

On  the  morning  of  Maundy  Thursday,  a  strange 
idea  presented  itself  to  his  mind.  There  was 
living  in  a  castle,  about  fifteen  miles  distant,  a 
Jew,  a  retired  banker,  who  was  immensely  rich. 
The  good  priest  had  never  before  asked  an  alms  of 
him,  because  it  was  well  known  that  he  never  gave 
alms  to  a  Christian,  much  less  to  a  priest. 

One  moment  ihe  holy  man  hesitated  ;  it  was  not 
at  all  agreeable  to  go  to  the  Jew,  but  he  considered 
this  thought  as  an  inspiration  of  St.  Joseph ;  and, 
posse  sing  the  simplicity  of  a  child,  to  receive  an 
inspiration  from  God  and  to  obey  it,  was  like  one 
action  for  him. 

After  Holy  Mas?,  he  set  out,  saying  the  Rosary 
on  his  way.  Now  the  “Kleine  Pastor,”  as  his 


32 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


parishioners  fondly  called  him,  besides  being  a 
very  spiritual  theologian  and  a  saint,  was  also  a 
poet. 

Like  St.  F/ancis  of  Assisi,  he  delighted  to  enter¬ 
tain  himself  with  the  beasts  and  the  birds,  and  as 
he  went  along  the  road,  the  wonders  of  creation 
and  the  power  and  wisdom  of  their  Creator,  evinced 
even  in  the  little  wayside  flo  wers,  were  to  his  pure 
mind  rich  and  sublime  lessons. 

When  he  entered  the  castle  court  he  met  the  car¬ 
riage  of  the  master,  who  cast  a  cold  and  con¬ 
temptuous  glance  at  his  uninvited  guest,  who  even 
dared  to  walk  into  his  private  grounds. 

The  step  of  the  priest  became  very  slow! — 

The  banker  had  just  sat  down  to  his  dinner, 
when  a  servant  entered,  asking  whether  he  would 
receive  that  poor  man  whom  he  had  just  before 
met. 

“  Give  him  a  piece  of  bread,”  replied  the  master, 
u  and  tell  him  to  leave  me  in  peace.” 

“  But  he  insists  on  seeing  you,  and  speaking  with 
you,”  continued  tha  servant. 

“  Then  he  may  wait.” 

The  good  priest,  not  daring  to  sit  down  on  one 
of  the  velvet  chairs  in  the  saloon,  and  seeing  a  little 
bench  in  the  court,  humbly  retired  to  it,  fervently 
beseeching  St.  Joseph  to  help  him.  After  dinner 
the  lord  of  the  castle  lighted  a  cigar,  and  again  his 
servant,  who  felt  pity  for  the  poor  little  man  who 
looked  so  tired,  and  all  covered  with  dust,  ventured 
to  remind  his  master. 

“  Will  your  lordship  now  receive  the  poor 
man?” 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


“"What! — is  he  still  here?  then  let  him  come  in, 
but  tell  him  to  be  short.” 

The  priest  saluted  the  Jew  reverentially  end 
made  known  his  request.  The  banker  broke  out 
into  a  short  laugh,  which  seemed  a  bad  presage. 
Was  it  not,  indeed,  strange,  almost  impertinent,  to 
ask  from  him,  a  Jew,  the  means  of  celebrating  the 
Insurrection  of  Him  Whom  his  ancestors  had 
cruc  fied? 

But  how  was  it  possible  to  be  angry  with  this 
beggar,  who  was  so  gentle  and  humble  ? 

Herr  N - ,  who  always  liked  to  find  out  the 

motives  of  people’s  actions,  was  surprised  that  this 
priest  s'emed  quite  unconscious  of  having  come  to 
just  the  wrong  person. 

He  already  began  to  take  the  mistake  more 
favorably.  On  the  other  hand,  he  thought  it  a  good 
opportunity  to  learn  what  kind  of  a  man  a  priest 
might  be. 

“  We  will  see,”  he  said,  assuming  again  his  rough 
and  severe  deportmont ;  6‘  sit  down,  sir,  and  tell  me 
your  story.” 

The  humble  priest,  who  was  not  accustomed  to 
speak  about  himself,  felt  for  a  moment  very  per¬ 
plexed.  Nevertheless  he  obeyed,  and  with  winning 
sweetness  described  his  dear  home,  in  wh  ch  he  had 
been  the  eldest  of  ten  children.  Then  he  spoke  of 
the  seminary,  his  second  heme,  which  was  in  a 
manner  hke  the  vestibule  of  the  Sanctuary;  and  he 
became  wonderfully  animated  at  the  remembrance 
of  those  happy  times.  Then  he  described  his 
parish,  and  the  church  as  it  was  now  (by  whose 
meiits  it  had  become  so,  he  did  not  tell) — and  spoke 


i 


34 


ET.  JOSEPHS  HELP. 


about  the  piety  o!  his  parishioners,  and  of  the  peace 
cf  the  solitude  of  his  country  life,  which  h©  dedi¬ 
cated  to  Gad  and  His  creatures. 

What  touching  eloquence  did  not  God  and  h*s 
good  Angel  place  on  his  lips  as  he  portrayed  all 
these  things ! 

Scarcely  had  he  finished  when  Herr  N - arose, 

and  with  reverence  and  emotion  said :  “  Sir,  allow* 
me  to  express  to  you  my  sympathy  and  admiration. 
I  do  not  know  which  of  us  two  possesses  the  truth, 
but  I  envy  you.  You  are  happy  in  a  faith  which 
inspires  such  great  sacrifices  You  shall  have  a 
Paschal  candle,  Keverend  Father,  and  from  this 
moment  I  give  you  an  unlimited  credit  for  your 
church,  for  your  poor,  and  for  yourself.  Consent 
to  make  me  your  banker.” 

u  Kleine  Pastor,”  who  left  the  castle  in  a  carriage, 
carried  in  his  pocket  a  purse  well  filled  with  bank 
notes. 

Without  doubt  St.  Joseph  had  interposed  here, 
and  the  whole  neighborhood  had  much  to  say 
about  the  splendid  Paschal  candle  given  by  Herr 
N - . 

Every  day  the  priest  prays  in  church  for  his 
generous  benefactor,  and  every  Sunday  he  visits 
him — and  it  is  fully  bel  eved  by  the  parishioners 
that  St.  Joseph  will  not  stop  half  way  in  tbe  work 
he  has  begun,  but  will  certainly  lead  this  man,  who 
so  willingly  complied  with  his  desires,  to  the  true 
faith. 


i 

i 

v 


f — 


35 


£T.  J_SEPH's  HELP. 


9.  St.  Joseph  Lodges  two  Missioners. 

The  chronicles  of  the  Franciscan  Fathers  relate 
the  following  occurrence : 

Father  Jerome  Vistoya,  a  Capuchin  and  Apostolic 
Missioner,  who  was  especially  devoted  to  St. 
Joseph,  went  with  another  Father  of  his  Order  to 
Venice,  whence  by  order  of  the  Holy  See  he  was 
to  embark  for  the  island  of  Candia. 

It  was  summer,  and  to  avoid  the  intolerable  heat 
of  the  sun  they  travelled  by  night,  and  so  it  hap¬ 
pened  once  that  they  lost  their  way. 

After  straying  about  for  some  time,  exhausted 
and  hungry,  they  knelt  down  and  invoked  Jesus 
Mary  and  Joseph  for  assistance.  4 

When  they  had  finished  their  prayer  they  saw  in 
the  distance  the  glimmer  of  a  lamp,  and  following 
its  light,  they  soon  reached  a  little  house  which 
they  found  inhabited  by  an  old  man,  with  his  wife 
and  child,  all  of  dignified  and  beautiful  appearence. 

They  introduced  themselves  as  travellers,  who 
had  lost  their  way,  and  begging  for  shelter,  were 
received  with  the  utmost  kindness  and  hospitality. 

When  they  awoke  the  next  morning,  after  a 
good  night’s  rest,  they  found  themselves  lying  in  a 
meadow,  and  they  saw  not  the  slighest  trace  of  the 
cottage  or  its  inmates. 

Then  these  good  Fathers  doubted  no  longer 
that  they  had  been  entertained  by  the  Holy  Family 
itself,  and  thanked  God  gratefully  for  so  excellent 
a  protection. 

The  learned  Eckius,  in  his  homilies  on  St 


36 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


Joseph,  says :  ‘  Let  all  who  have  to  undertake 
dangerous  journeys,  and  travel  through  hostile 
countries,  recommend  themselves  to  St  Joseph  for 
his  protecsion  and  security. 


10.  Origin  op  the  Devotion  to  the  Seven  Joys 
and  Seven  Dolors  op  St  Joseph 

One  day,  many,  many  years  ago,  there  arose  a 
terrible  storm  at  sea.  Many  ships  were  wrecked  off 
the  coast  of  Flanders,  and  one  of  these  was  a  large 
passenger  vessel,  with  three  hundred  people  on 
board. 

Two  Franciscan  friars  were  among  the  number  of 
the  ili-f&ted  crew,  and  when  the  final  crush  came, 
and  the  vessel  went  to  pieces  on  the  rocks,  they  re¬ 
tained  sufficient  presence  of  mind  to  keep  together, 
and  to  clasp  hold  of  a  large  plank  ss  they  fell  into 
the  water.  Still,  imagine  their  anguish,  exposed 
on  a  cold  night  to  all  the  fury  of  a  raging  sea,  with 
nothing  but  a  plank  to  rely  on  for  safety.  They 
felt  their  strength  becoming  exhausted,  and  they 
did  not  even  know  where  they  were,  or  how  far 
from  land. 

In  this  extremity  they  devoutly  invoked  St. 
Joseph;  and,  presently,  with  feelings  of  wonder 
and  joy,  the  figure  of  a  graceful-looking  young 
man  appeared  suddenly  standing  beside  them. 

He  saluted  them  most  courteously,  consoled 
them,  and  by  his  very  presence  seemed  to  impart 
to  their  chilled  and  stiffened  limbs  fresh  vigor 
and  strength.  He  did  more,  for  he  steered  their 
frail  plank  so  dexirausly  that  it  might  have  been  a 


£T.  Joseph's  help. 


37 


boat,  and  conducted  them  eafely  to  the  nearest 
point  of  land. 

As  soon  as  the  good  friars  had  safely  landed  they 
fell  on  their  knees,  and  raising  their  hands  and 
hearts  to  Almighty  God,  thaiked  Him  for  their 
wonderful  preservation.  Then  they  turned  to  their 
kind  protector,  and,  after  the  first  fervent  words  of 
gratitude,  one  of  them  humbly  said : 

“  Pray,  good  sir,  who  may  you  be,  who  have  re¬ 
ceived  such  high  gifts  from  God  ?  ” 

And  the  young  man,  answering,  said : 

“  I  am  Joseph,  whom  you  called  upon.” 

On  hearing  these  words,  the  souls  of  these  de¬ 
voted  children  of  the  blessed  Francis  overflowed 
with  spiritual  joy.  They  begged  of  their  deliverer 
to  tarry  still  a  little  longer  with  them,  and  he  gra¬ 
ciously  consented,  conversing  with  them  con¬ 
cerning  the  sorrows  and  joys  which  he  had 
experienced  while  living  in  this  world;  and 
he  revealed  to  them  that  he  would  look 
down  with  pleasure  from  heaven  on  all  who 
should  venerate  them,  and  piously  meditate  on 
them. 

After  he  had  thus  spoken  he  disappeared. 

This  was  the  origin  of  the  devotion  to  the  seven 
joys  and  seven  dolors  of  St.  Joseph,  now  so  widely 
spread  throughout  the  Church,  and  enriched  with 
so  many  indulgences. 

11.  Safety  in  Time  of  Danger. 

St.  Theresa  was  travelling  with  some  of  her 
religious  to  make  one  of  her  foundations,  which 
she  had  promised  to  dedicate  to  St.  Joseph.  After 


38 


et.  Joseph's  help. 


a  time,  the  coachman,  unused  to  the  country,  lost 
his  way  and  wandered  from  the  road,  if  indeed  the 
ill-defined  track  could  be  called  a  read  ;  the  horses 
became  restive,  and  kept  plunging  about  first  on 
one  side  and  then  on  another. 

Suddenly  St.  Theresa  saw  herself  and  her 
daughters  on  the  very  brink  of  a  dangerous  preci¬ 
pice. 

“My  dear  children,”  she  cried  out,  “  we  are  lost 
if  our  good  father  St.  Jcseph  does  not  come  to  our 
rescue.  Let  us  call  on  him  for  help. 

They  had  scarcely  begun  their  prayer  when  they 
heard  a  loud  voice  from  the  depths  of  the  abyss 
calling  out : 

“  Stop !  stop !  ” 

At  these  words  the  horses  immediately  became 
quiet,  and  the  same  voice  directed  them  concerning 
the  path  they  were  to  take,  hazardous  enough  cer¬ 
tainly  in  appearance,  yet  they  followed  it  with  en¬ 
tire  confidence,  and  soon  all  fear  of  danger  was  over. 

The  coachman  and  the  whole  company  looked  in 
vain  to  find  the  man  who  had  rendered  them  sach 
an  important  service.  But  they  could  not  discover 
the  slightest  trace  of  him. 

The  Saint  at  first  said  nothing ;  her  supernatural 
instinct  had  enabled  her  at  once  to  grasp  the  real 
truth,  and  her  heart  was  too  full  of  gratitude  for 
words;  but  at  last,  in  reply  to  her  companion’s  ex- 
pression  of  regret  that  they  could  not  thank  their 
benefactor,  she  replied : 

“  You  seek  in  vain,  my  daughters,  for  the  man 
who  saved  us.  It  was  no  other  than  our  dearest 
father,  St.  Joseph.” 


ST.  JOSEPHS  HELP, 


39 


12.  Under  the  Protection  of  St.  Joseph. 

In  the  yeir  1631  a  new  and  immense  crater 
opened  in  Mount  Vesuvius.  Such  a  torrent  of 
flames  and  ashes  burst  out  that  the  glowing  red 
lava,  like  a  flood,  covered  the  whole  neighborhood, 
especially  a  village  called  N - 

In  this  village  lived  a  poor  woman  named  Camilla, 
a  most  devout  client  of  St.  Joseph,  and  with  her 
lived  her  little  nephew,  a  child  of  about  five  years 
of  age,  named  Joseph,  out  of  devotion  to  her  be¬ 
loved  patron. 

When  Camilla  saw  the  streams  of  lava  creeping 
down  the  sides  of  the  mountain  like  fiery  serpents, 
and  gradually  encircling  all  they  met  in  their 
deadly  embrace,  she  caught  up  the  little  boy  in 
her  arms  and  endeavored  to  escape. 

But  alas!  she  had  delayed  too  long.  Fear 
seemed  to  lend  her  wings,  and  she  flew  rather  than 
ran ;  but  her  cruel  enemy  pursued  her  ever  faster 
and  faster,  gaining  each  moment  on  her.  She  did 
not  see  which  way  she  was  going ;  her  one  thought 
was  to  escape  from  the  cer  ain  death  following  her 
so  closely.  Suddenly  she  found  her  path  obstructed, 
she  could  go  no  further.  Ah !  poor  woman,  what 
have  jou  done?  In  trying  to  escape  one  danger 
you  have  encountered  another  nearly  as  formidable. 

In  her  heedless,  aimless  flight  she  had  di  ected 
her  steps  towards  a  high  rock,  which  now  rose 
perpendicularly  before  her,  stretching  away  into 
the  sea,  so  that  it  seemed  impossible  for  her  either 
to  go  backwards  or  forwards  without  losing  he? 


40 


et.  Joseph's  help. 


life.  Wbat  could  she  do  ?  If  she  turned  back  the 
flames  would  consume  her;  if  she  advanced  it  wou  d 
be  only  to  find  certain  death  in  the  angry  waves. 

In  this  critical  situation  Camilla  bethougut  her¬ 
self  of  her  holy  patron. 

“  Great  saint,”  she  called  out,  “  I  recommend  to 
thee  thy  li;tle  Joseph;  thou  must  gave  him.” 

Having  said  these  words  she  laid  the  child  down 
on  tie  rock,  and  herself  ran  down  towards  the  see. 
But  instead  of  falling  into  the  water,  as  it  seemed 
she  must  naturally  have  done,  she  alighted  on  the 
sands,  and  did  tot  sutler  the  slightest  harm. 

Herself  saved,  her  next  thought  was  for  the  little 
one,  whom  she  had  been  forced  to  desert.  The 
fate  cf  the  child,  left  to  the  mercy  of  the  fire, 
grieved  her  exceedingly.  In  her  sorrow  and  de¬ 
spair,  she  ran  up  and  down,  seeking  him  vainly 
everywhere. 

All  at  once  she  heard  his  clear,  childish  voice 
calling  her  by  name,  and,  better  still,  here  he  comes 
bounding  to  meet  her,  full  of  life  and  joy. 

“My  sweetest  one,”  cried  Camilla,  “  who  has 
save!  thee  from  the  fiery  rain?  who  has  rescued 
thee  from  being  burned  to  death?” 

“St.  Joseph  has  done  it,  to  whom  thou  didst  in¬ 
trust  me replied  the  child.  “  He  took  my  ha  d 
and  led  me  to  that  place  where  you  found  me.” 

And  instantly  did  this  pious  woman  fall  on  her 
knees,  most  fervently  thanking  God  and  Sfc  Joseph 
for  tie  two  miracles  worked  that  day  in  her  behalf 

O  ye  mothers,  whose  children  often  run  into 
dangers  a  thousand  times  more  perilous;  redouble 
jo  if  prayers  and  jour  cor fidence  in  our  Blessed 


ST.  JOSEPHS  HiLP. 


41 


Lady  and  St  Joseph;  redouble  your  care  and  your 
fervor  in  order  to  save  the  souls  cf  your  children. 

13.  Protection  op  St.  Joseph  during  a  Pestilence. 

A  terrible  pestilence  raged  in  Lyons  during  the 
year  1638. 

These  scourges,  as  we  well  know,  are  often  sent 
by  God  in  His  mercy  to  be  a  means  of  turning  the 
hearts  of  His  creatures  to  Himself,  and  in  this  af- 
fliction  many  were  inspired  to  place  themselves  un¬ 
der  the  especial  patronage  of  the  glorious  Foster- 
Father  of  Christ. 

Their  devotion  was  rewarded  with  the  most  signal 
graces,  of  which  the  following  story  is  an  instance. 

A  certain  advocate  was  obliged  to  go  t }  Lyons 
on  business,  and,  as  it  seems  to  us,  rather  rashly, 
or  perhaps  forced  by  necessity,  took  with  him  his 
little  son,  who  was  only  seven  years  old. 

One  day,  being  obliged  to  go  out  a’one,  on  his 
return  to  the  house,  to  his. terror  he  found  his  child 
serzed  with  the  fatal  malady  and  already  in  the  ago¬ 
nies  of  death. 

The  unfortunate  father,  almost  beside  himself 
with  grief,  and  despairing  of  human  aid,  turned 
himself  to  God,  and  besought  Him,  through  the 
intercession  of  St.  Joseph,  to  spare  his  son  ;  making 
a  promise  at  the  same  time  to  make  a  novena  in 
honor  cf  the  saint,  to  erect  a  vot  ve  tablet  near  his 
altar,  and  to  offer  a  certain  number  of  candles  to 
burn  before  his  statue. 

Meanwhile  the  child  kept  each  moment  growing 
worse,  and  the  doctor,  declaring  that  it  was  impos¬ 
sible  fcr  him  to  live  two  hours  longer,  fina’Jy  or- 


42 


6T.  Joseph's  help. 

dered  him  to  be  carried  to  the  hospital,  that  the  in¬ 
fection  might  not  be  increased. 

The  poor  father  followed  the  sad  procession  as 
mournfully  as  if  he  even  now  saw  before  him  the 
little  coffin  of  his  son,  yet  his  confidence  in  St. 
Joseph  remained  unshaken.  And  now  listen  how 
his  faith  was  rewarded. 

Hardiy  had  they  arrived  at  the  hospital  when  the 
child  suddenly  sprang  from  his  bed,  entirely  re¬ 
stored  to  health,  his  rounded,  rosy  features  full  of 
animation,  and  bearing  no  trace  of  his  narrow 
escape  from  death. 

Need  we  add  that  the  grateful  advocate  hastened 
joyfully  to  fulfil  his  promises,  and  to  glorify  his 
heavenly  Protector. 

14.  Protection  of  St.  Joseph  during  a  Conta¬ 
gious  Disease. 

Not  many  years  ago,  the  following  wonderful  in¬ 
stance  of  an  answer  granted  to  prayer  made  a  great 
sensation  in  the  neighborhood  of  Chambery. 

It  was  the  summer  of  1861,  and  both  the  town 
itself  and  the  whole  country  around  were  in  a  state 
of  excitement  and  alarm,  on  account  of  a  contagious 
disease  which  had  appeared  suddenly  among  the 
population,  and  the  number  of  the  victims  con¬ 
tinued  to  increase  day  by  day. 

The  fervent  parish  priest  of  the  Church  of 
St.  Pierre,  seeing  the  danger  and  anguish  of  his 
lock,  summoned  them  to  the  church,  and  exhorted 
them  earnestly  to  place  themselves  under  the 
special  care  of  Mary  and  Joseph.  He  then  or- 
gaiiz  d  a  devo  ion  frr  tho  rext  seven  Sundays  in 


i  T.  JOSFPHS  HELP. 


43 


hoEor  of  St.  Joseph.  On  these  occasions  the  church 
was  filled  to  overflowing,  and  numberless  candles 
were  presented  at  the  altar  of  the  saint. 

The  compassionate  Heart  of  our  Divine  Lord 
showed  itself  merciful  to  these  humble  supplications 
offered  to  Him  through  the  intervention  of  His 
Immaculate  Mother  and  chaste  Foster-Fa  her.  For 
although  the  disease  raged  in  the  other  parts  of  the 
town  for  full  three  months  longer,  not  one  more 
fatal  case  occurred  in  this  parish ;  and  while  the 
bells  of  the  neighboring  churches  were  continually 
tolling  the  sad  announcement  of  death,  the  bell  of 
St.  Pierre  was  only  heard  from  time  to  time  on 
festival  days  or  sounding  the  glad  news  of  some 
baptism  or  marriage. 

Devotion  to  St.  Joseph,  which  already  had  taken 
deep  root  in  the  hearts  of  these  faithful  Catholics, 
became  more  lively,  and  in  all  their  affairs  they  had 
recourse  with  unbounded  confidence  to  the  inter¬ 
cession  of  Mary  and  Joseph. 

15.  St.  Joseph  All-Powekful  with  God. 

The  81h  of  September,  1860,  was  a  sad  day  in 
the  home  of  a  respectable  family  living  in  a  certain 
town  in  Poland,  for  it  saw  the  husband  and  father 
of  the  family  deprived,  by  political  intrigues,  of  a 
situation  which  he  had  filled  well  and  conscien¬ 
tiously. 

It  is  true  it  was  not  a  very  lucrative  employment ; 
yet  it  was  their  only  means  of  support,  besides  en¬ 
abling  the  parents  to  give  their  children  a  good 
education.  Now,  all  was  gone,  and  they  knew  not 


44 


et.  Joseph's  help. 


how  to  procure  the  most  necessary  means  of  sub» 
sis  fence. 

The  anxiety  and  sudden  change  from  a  life  of 
comparative  comfort  to  one  of  want  and  misery 

were  too  much  for  poor  Madams  N - ,  and  she 

fell  into  a  kind  of  nervous  excitement,  accompanied 
with  fever  and  great  prostration. 

Her  friends  endeavored  to  calm  h?r  and  raise  her 
spirits,  but  all  in  vain,  as  she  easily  perceived  that 
their  kind  words  were  only  spoken  from  charity, 
and  to  give  her  a  confidence  which  they  did  not 
themselves  share. 

She  grew  daily  worse,  until  her  father,  who  was 
very  devout  to  St.  Joseph,  and  who  was  much 
grieved  to  see  her  in  this  state,  became  inspired  as 
to  the  right  method  of  offering  her  relief. 

Enteiing  her  room  one  morning  quite  cheerfully, 
he  said  to  her  : 

“Well,  my  dear  daughter,  what  are  you  doing? 
are  you  going  to  allow  yourself  to  become  quite  a 
prey  to  these  4  blue  devils !’  ” 

“  But,  my  father,”  she  replied,  “  how  can  you 
joke  at  our  misery?” 

44  Yes,  my  daughter,”  returned  the  old  man,  44  I 
am  not  troubled  about  it,  for  I  have  put  it  into  the 
hands  of  St.  Joseph,  and  I  am  sure  his  loving  heart 
will  never  forsake  us.  I  assure  you  that  I  have 
never  asked  any  favor  of  him  which  I  did  not 
receive?  therefore,  courage,  my  child,  do  you  a^so 
ask  him  for  help,  and  your  prayer  will  be  heard.” 

The  afflicted  daughter  followed  the  advice  of  her 
father,  and  invoked  the  great  Saint,  yet  more  by 
her  tears  than  by  her  words.  And  who  would 


st.  Joseph's  help. 


45 


believe  it  ?  Scarcaly  had  she  finished  her  short  but 
devout  prayer  when  she  felt  interiorly  so  calm  and 
peaceful  it  was  like  passing  aga’n  from  death  to 
life.  In  less  than  two  hours  she  had  regained  h?r 
former  strength,  and  with  renewed  hedth  and 
vigor  was  able  to  resume  her  ordinary  household 
duties. 

Those  who  had  seen  her,  only  a  few  hours  before, 
wasting  away  on  a  sick  bed,  dull  and  miserable, 
could  hardly  believe  their  eyes;  and  St.  Joseph, 
apparently  not  satisfied  even  wi'h  this,  took  care 
to  send  her  husband  some  good  friends  who  as¬ 
sisted  them  in  their  poverty. 

A  long  time  after,  Madame  N -  rece’ved  a 

letter  from  her  brothe",  who  was  also  now  ia  great 
distress.  His  wife  had  fallen  dangerously  il»,  and 
her  life  was  despaired  of  by  the  doctor.  Theiefore, 
her  husband  wrote  fo  beg  his  sister  to  come  aed 
a*s:st  her,  and  also  to  be  a  comfort  to  him  when 
the  sad  moment  should  come  of  separation  frcm 
his  much- beloved  wife. 

Madame  N - at  once  set  off  on  her  journey; 

and  on  arriving  at  her  destination,  was  met  by  her 
brother,  whom  she  found  full  of  sorrow,  and  quite 
despairing  of  the  recovery  of  his  wife. 

“Have  you  invoked  St.  Joseph  ?”  asked  Madame 
N - . 

“Yes,”  he  replied,  “  ever  since  my  wife  was  de¬ 
clared  to  be  in  danger,  I  have  burned  a  lamp  before 
h  s  s'atue,  and  I  have  often  invoked  him ;  but  I 
do  not  think  myself  worthy  of  so  great  a  favor.” 

Let  us  now  listen  to  Madame  N - ’s  own  narra¬ 

tion. 


46 


st.  jobeph’s  help. 


“When  the  evening  came,  I  returned  to  take  a 
little  rest,  as  I  was  fatigued  with  my  long  journey, 
and  depressed  by  the  sight  of  my  brother’s  gr^at 
affliction  ;  but  before  we  parted,  we  once  again,  fer¬ 
vently  and  with  confidence,  besought  St.  Joseph  on 
behalf  of  the  poor  sufferer. 

“  I  had  gone  to  sleep,  when  suddenly  I  was  awak¬ 
ened  by  hearing  my  name  called.  I  rose  hastily, 
and  prepared  to  return  to  the  sick  room,  thinking 
that  the  last  moment  had  arrived,  and  that  I  was 
wanted.  But,  no !  it  was,  instead,  the  moment  of 
help  from  St.  Joseph.  A  crisis  of  the  disease  had 
indeed  come,  but  contrary  to  all  hope,  was  favor 
able.  She,  whom  we  had  thought  dying,  now  slept 
quietly  and  soundly,  and  when  the  doctor  cime  the 
nest  morning  to  visit  his  patient,  to  his  intense  as¬ 
tonishment,  he  found  her  so  far  recovered  that  he 
declared  it  could  only  have  happened  through  a 
miracle.” 

In  a  very  short  time  her  health  was  completely 
restored,  so  that  no  trace  of  her  former  illness  re¬ 
mained. 


16.  Speedy  Help. 

A  very  pious  but  pmr  woman  was  in  distress  for 
five  shillings  to  complete  the  payment  of  her  rent, 
which  was  due  on  Christmas  Day.  The  sum  was 
small ;  but  still  she  knew  not  how  to  procure  it.  In 
her  distress  she  applied  to  St.  Joseph,  and  placed 
her  difficulty  in  his  hands. 

After  doing  this,  she  left  her  house  on  some 
business.  As  she  returned,  a  letter  was  handed  to 
her ;  the  handwriting  was  quite  unknown  to  her  $ 


BT.  J.  SJtPH  8  HELP. 


47 


but,  behold,  inside  there  were  five  shillings — just 
the  sum  she  needed.  She  had  not  the  slightest 
idea  from  whom  it  came. 

17.  A  WONDERFUL  CURE. 

A  poor  widow,  named  Wilhelmina  Rielz,  who 
lived  at  Newbau,  in  Vienna,  fell  dangerously  ill  of 
a  most  painful  disease  ;  and,  being  confined  to  her 
bed,  was  unable  to  work  io  support  her  four  little 
children. 

By  the  influence  of  some  charitable  persons,  she 
was  taken  to  the  hospital  of  the  Franciscan  nuns, 
in  Hartsmann  street,  Vienna,  where  the  doctors  de¬ 
cided  she  must  undergo  a  very  serious  and  painful 
operation,  as  a  large  and  deep  ulcer  had  formed  on 
the  head,  behind  the  ear.  The  incisions  made  were 
very  deep,  and  the  daily  dressing  of  the  wound  was 
so  painful  that  the  poor  woman  often  fainted  under 
it.  At  last,  the  physician  declared  that  disease  had 
affected  the  bone,  and  gave  very  little  hope  of  cure, 
saying  that  her  sufferings  would  last  a  long  time. 

In  this  sad  situation,  rendered  even  more  painful 
to  the  poor  mother  by  the  anxiety  concerning  her 
little  children,  for  whose  subsistence  she  was  unable 
to  labor,  she  turned  herself  with  great  fervor  to  her 
ho’y  patron,  Sh.  Joseph,  to  whom  she  had  ever  been 
most  devoted,  and  she  desired  to  receive  the  Sacra¬ 
ments  with  this  intention.  After  receiving  Holy 
Communion  on  the  folowing  morning,  she  fell,  as 
it  were,  into  a  kind  of  slumber  ;  it  seemed  to  her  as 
if  the  great  Patriarch  appeared  standing  at  her  bed* 
side,  and  her  soul  became  filled  with  consolation 
and  confidence. 


48 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 

Wilhelmina  knew  not  whether  it  wai  a  dream  or 
a  reaiity;  but  she  felt  so  great  a  peace  and  such 
full  certainty  that  she  should  recover,  that  she  could 
not  doubt  that  it  was  a  great  grace  received  from 
God,  and,  indeed,  the  wound,  which  was  three  inches 
deep,  in  three  days  was  perfectly  healed. 

The  physician  was  amazed,  and  declared  he  had 
never  in  all  his  practice  experienced  such  a  cure 
before. 

The  good  Sisters  and  invalids  in  the  hospital 
were  not  less  surprised  at  this  visible  supernatural 
cure,  and  all  united  in  thanking  God  for  His  good¬ 
ness. 

In  a  few  days,  after  the  physician  had  once 
more  carefully  examined  the  wound,  the  happy 
widow  left  the  hospital  (on  the  16th  of  March, 
1885)  and  sines  then  has  continued  well  and  in 
good  health.  Not  even  a  scar  of  the  fearful  ulcer 
and  wound  remain. 

This  is  again  a  proof  of  St.  Joseph’s  readiness  to 
assist  the  faithful  when  they  devoutly  call  on  him 
for  help. 

To  everyone  we  say  with  confidence:  “  Go  to  Jo¬ 
seph.”  The  great  saint  will  grant  each  humble  peti, 
tion  if  it  is  for  the  honor  of  God  and  the  good  of  the 
suppliant. 


18.  Shelter  at  Midnight. 

Last  year,  whilst  I  was  at  Minden,  in  Westphalia 
writes  “P.  D.,”  of  Paderborn,  Sister  Michael,  the 
Superioress  of  the  Franciscans  (a  branch  from 
Aix-la-Chapelle),  related  to  me  the  following: 

Two  of  their  Sisters,  who  were  in  one  of  their 


ST.  JOSEPH'S  HELP. 


49 


convents  in  North  America,  were  sent  to  a  distant 
town,  where  the  bishop  of  the  diocese  resided,  and 
where  he  wished  to  make  a  foundation. 

They  had  to  travel  a  day  and  a  half  and  one 
night,  so  that  they  reached  the  place  just  at  mid¬ 
night.  They  were  greatly  distressed  at  arriving  at 
so  inconvenient  an  hour — strangers  in  a  strarge 
place,  they  knew  not  what  to  do.  Thus  they 
thought  to  themselves,  as  the  train  brought  them 
nearer  and  nearer  to  their  destination.  Then  one 
of  them,  turning  to  the  other,  said : 

“  I  can  think  of  nothing  better  than  to  recom¬ 
mend  ourselves  to  the  care  and  protection  of  St. 
Joseph.” 

This  they  did  at  once,  invoking  most  fervently  and 
earnestly  the  great  Patriarch’s  help  and  assistance. 

It  was  midnight;  the  train  stopped  at  a  large 
station.  The  Sisters  got  out  and  stood  bewildered 
and  helpless,  uncertain  what  to  do.  But  they  had 
not  to  wait  long,  for  a  coachman  approaching  them 
civilly,  asked  them  to  get  into  the  carriage  which 
was  waiting  for  them  ;  when  they  questioned  him, 
With  astonishment,  as  to  what  cr  whose  carrigge 
was  waiting,  he  mid  that  the  bishop  had  sent  him 
to  meet  them,  and  to  let  them  know  rooms  were 
already  prepared  for  them.  And  so  it  was  they 
ound  all  arranged  as  if  they  had  been  expected 
^hat  night. 

The  next  morning,  when  the  Sisters  met  the 
bishop,  they  explained  to  him  their  anxiety  and 
perplexity  at  the  station,  and  thanked  him  for  his 
kindness  in  sending  the  carriage,  and  for  his  hos¬ 
pitality. 


60 


bt.  Joseph's  help. 


Bat  the  bishop  wss  amazed  j  for  he  knew  nothing 
whatever  about  it,  nor  had  he  given  any  orders  con¬ 
cerning  the  nuns. 

Who,  then,  could  have  done  it?  Who  sent  that 
carriage?  May  we  not  believe  it  was  St.  Joseph, 
whom  they  had  so  trustingly  invoked  ? 

19.  Protection  jn  Danger  from  Fire. 

“  On  the  10th  of  December,  1879,  a  fire  broke 
out  in  our  village  in  the  house  of  a  Jew.  The 
cause  was  unknown,  but  as  the  house  was  thatched, 
the  fire  spread  quickly,  and  before  help  could  be 
obtained  the  whole  roof  was  one  mass  of  flames. 

“  The  fire  was  very  near  to  my  presbytery  ;  at 
the  first  a' arm  I  awoke,  and,  seeing  the  danger, 
prostrated  before  my  oratory  and  besought  the  pro¬ 
tection  of  God,  through  the  intercession  of  our 
great  patron  St.  Jcseph.  My  prayer  was  not  in 
vain ;  very  Boon  the  hand  of  God  became  visible, 
for  although  the  burning  house  was  entirely  in 
flames  before  help  anived,  and  although  the  next 
houee,  which  wa^  only  four  yards  distant,  was  also 
thatched  with  sfraw,  the  fire  rema  ned  limited  to 
the  first  hcu  e  only,  and  a  wind  rising  just  at  the 
t  me  drove  the  flames  in  a  direction  where  there 
were  no  buildings. 

“  The  same  night  I  was  enlightened  by  Gcd  to 
understand  better  the  wonderful  effects  of  the  in¬ 
tercession  of  the  f  aints.  As  soon  as  the  danger 
was  over  I  went  back  to  bed,  fell  asleep,  and  dreamed 
that  I  was  hastening  again  to  the  scene  of  the  fire, 
desirous  of  doing  all  in  my  power  to  extinguish  the 
flames.  As  I  drew  near  to  the  spot,  I  met  a  pro- 


t  T.  JJSEPH3  HELP. 


51 


cession  cf  girla  dressed  in  whPe,  who  carried  the 
sfa  ue  of  St.  Anthony  of  Padua.  Close  behind 
this  procession  followed  ano’her,  bearing  statues  of 
our  Bussed  Lady  and  S?.  Joseph,  and  carrying 
lighted  candles  in  their  hands.  They  all  went  for¬ 
ward  until  they  came  close  to  the  fire,  when  they  * 
put  down  their  statues  on  the  ground,  knelt  down 
t  nd  prayed. 

“  The  flames  appeared  obstinate,  they  came  for¬ 
ward,  and  even  licked  round  about  the  statu©  of  St 
Anthony,  but  they  could  not  enkindle  it,  and  gradu- 
a.ly  seemed  to  be  becoming  extinguished.  Just  at 
this  moment  the  ringing  of  the  bells  awoke  me,  and 
so  my  dream  ended. 

“Two  years  ago  I  had  another  experience  of  a 
fire  suddenly  extinguished  by  the  intercession  of 
St.  Joseph. 

“We  have  a  Confraternity  of  SL.  Joseph  estab¬ 
lished  in  this  parish,  which  is  continually  increasing 
in  numbers,  as  it  is  a  belief  among  my  parishioners 
that  no  one  who  joins  it  will  die  without  the  g  aca 
of  the  last  Sacraments.” 

20.  St.  Joseph  Saves  a  Child  from  Death  by  Fire. 

In  affliction,  tribulation,  danger,  temptation, 
family  troubles — indeed,  in  ©very  want  both 
spiritual  and  temporal— St.  Joseph  has  always  and 
everywhere  been  a  protector. 

Now  listen  how  wonderfully  a  child  in  the  Tyrol 
escaped  being  burned  to  death.  It  happened  thus : 

Fire  had  broken  out  in  a  cer  aiu  house,  and 
almost  before  the  inhabitants  could  be  roused,  the 
whole  bu  Idirg  was  enveloped  in  flames. 


52 


6T.  Joseph's  help. 


la  the  terror  and  confusion  which  ensued,  it 
happened  that  a  woman  had  got  separated  from  her 
child,  and  dragged  out  almost  before  she  knew 
where  she  was.  When  she  recognized  that  she  was 
safe,  and  her  little  one  left  behind  in  peril,  the 
anguish  of  the  poor  mother  was  terrible  to  behold. 
She  threw  herself  on  her  knees,  and  entreated  the 
bystanders  to  save  her  child.  But  although  all 
shared  her  sorrow,  it  was  impossible  to  enter  amidst 
the  raging  flames. 

Then  the  unhappy  woman,  seeing  that  all  human 
aid  failed  h;r,  besought  heavenly  succor.  Busing 
her  eyes  and  hands  to  heaven,  she  invoked  St. 
Joseph,  sajing: 

“  Hail,  Joseph,  to  thee  I  recommend  my  Joseph, 
my  only  child  V ’ 

And  miraculously  the  Are  seemed  to  divide  on 
either  side  of  the  little  room  where  lay  the  cradle 
of  the  sleeping  infant,  and  the  mother’s  heart  was 
rejoiced  once  again,  by  clasping  in  her  arms  the 
treasure  she  feared  that  she  had  lost.  Thanks  to 
St.  Joseph. 


21.  Deliverance  from  Robbers. 

Some  years  ago  the  whole  country  near  — - - 

was  made  unsafe  by  a  notorious  highwayman.  One 
day  he  attacked  a  burgomaster  on  his  way  from 
his  receiving- office,  and  having  taken  from  him  a 
large  sum  of  money,  left  him  lying  insensible  on 
the  road. 

Some  people  passing  soon  afterwards  found 
him  still  alive,  and  when  he  somewhat  recovered, 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


53 


he  was  able  to  give  an  exact  description  of 
the  bandit,  which  was  inserted  in  the  local  news¬ 
papers. 

Among  the  many  who  read  this  paragraph 
was  a  certain  poor  young  girl,  who  on  the  very 
next  day  was  obliged  on  account  of  some 
needlework  to. walk  a  long  way  to  the  house  of  the 
head-forester  of  the  district.  In  vain  she  attempted 
to  find  some  escort  or  protection — no  one  seemed 
to  be  going  that  direction ;  so  she  had  to  set  out 
alone,  trusting  in  God’s  assistance,  and  according  to 
her  custom,  saying  her  Rosary  as  she  went.  Her 
road  led  her  directly  through  the  forest,  where  the 
brigand  was  known  to  lie  concealed:  aid  often  did 
the  girl  turn  her  eyes  in  the  direction  where  she 
knew  stood  the  Church  of - ,  containing  a  beau¬ 

tiful  chapel  dedicated  to  St.  Joseph,  as  if  to  seek 
from  him  the  protection  she  needed. 

She  had  already  advanced  about  half-way  through 
the  forest ;  and  she  was  intending  to  rest  for  a  few 
minutes  on  a  little  bench  placed  near  the  roadside 
for  travellers,  and  which  commanded  an  opening 
through  the  trees  and  a  lovely  view  of  the  St.  - — 
Lake,  with  its  blue  waters  glistening  and  dancing 
in  the  morning  sunshine.  Suddenly  she  became 
paralyzed  with  terror,  for  she  saw  a  man  emerge 
from  behind  a  tree,  and  recognized  in  him,  from  the 
description  which  she  had  read,  the  very  person  she 
ftared  to  meet.  They  met  face  to  face;  he  mea¬ 
sured  her  with  cruel,  greedy  looks,  and  seemed  to 
enjoy  her  evident  agony  of  fear. 

Help  seemed  impossible  in  such  a  lonely  spot  and 
at  such  an  early  hour. 


54 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


“Hail,  Joseph,  is  there  no  hope  of  deliverance 
for  me  ?” 

This  was  all  she  could  articulate  with  her  trem¬ 
bling  lips.  But,  oh,  wonder!  at  this  very  moment 
the  voices  of  two  youths  were  heard,  and  she  saw 
them  coming  along  talking  gaily  together. 

As  they  passed  the  maiden,  they  saluted  her 
courteously,  but  passed  on  quickly  without  stopping. 
She,  on  her  part,  followed  them  instantly,  a  ad  the 
robber  came  on,  but  more  slowly,  not  daring  to 
attack  her  in  such  company.  After  some  time  they 
came  to  an  open  space,  where  several  men  were  at 
work  felling  trees.  Then  the  highwayman  in  his 
turn,  being  afraid,  slunk  back  into  the  depths  of 
the  forest  and  was  seen  no  more. 

The  two  youths  seemed  suddenly  to  disappear  j 
then  the  men  who  were  working  could  find  no  traea 
of  them,  and,  notwithstanding  many  eager  inquiries 
from  the  girl,  both  at  the  f@rester’s  house,  and  in 
all  the  neighborhood,  no  one  could  tell  her  who 
they  were,  or  had  even  seen  them.  She  described 
them  as  being  both  dressed  alike,  with  such  sweet 
and  pleasant  faces  as  she  had  never  seen  before. 

The  village  girl  never  relates  this  story  without 
many  grateful  tears  for  the  kind  protection  sent  her 
by  her  beloved  St.  Joseph. 

22.  An  Engineer. 

From  the  Ardennes,  an  engineer  sends  us  an  ac. 
count  of  his  escape  from  a  sudden  death. 

He  was  engaged  in  some  difficult  work,  and  every 
day  it  was  his  custom  to  visit  a  chapel  of  the  glo 
rious  Patriarch,  to  beg  of  him  protection  and 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


55 


safety  for  soul  and  body,  and,  also,  on  all  occasions 
he  openly  professed  himself  a  elient  of  St.  Joseph, 

The  saint  richly  rewarded  his  lidelity ;  for  one 
night,  just  as  he  had  entered  on  his  duties,  and  was 
mounting  up  on  the  engine,  the  steam  boiler  burst ; 
six  men  were  killed,  and  others  more  or  lees  se¬ 
verely  wounded,  while  he,  who  might  have  expected 
instant  death,  was  preserved  unhurt. 

In  thanksgiving  for  this  signal  deliverance,  he  at 
once  had  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  offered  in 
honor  of  St.  Joseph,  and  himself  received  Holy 
Communion  seven  times. 

23.  A  Small  Gift  towards  Building  a  Church  in 
H  ;nor  of  St.  Joseph  Recompensed  a  Hundred¬ 
fold. 

A  young  man  once  came  to  the  parish-priest  of  a 
town  in  Westphalia,  who  was  building  a  church  in 
honor  of  St.  Joseph,  and  offered  him  a  small  contri¬ 
bution.  In  the  course  of  the  conversation  which 
ensued,  the  priest  learned  that  the  young  man  was 
in  great  pecuniary  difficulties,  and  that  the  small 
sum  he  had  just  given  for  the  church  was  the  last 
piece  of  money  he  possessed  in  the  world.  Yat  he 
had  sacrificed  it  joyfully,  trusting  that  the  blessed 
Foster  Rather  of  Jesus  would  deliver  him  from  his 
trouble.  Deeply  moved  by  such  firm  faith  and  con¬ 
fidence,  the  priest  could  hardly  control  his  tears 
sufficiently  to  thank  him. 

Some  months  passed  away,  and,  fully  engrossed  in 
his  undertaking,  the  pastor  of  N - had  nearly  for¬ 

gotten  the  occurrence,  when  one  morning  a  letter  ar¬ 
rived,  bearing  the  post-m^rk  of  a  distant  town  in  Ger- 


56 


et.  Joseph’s  h*lp. 


many,  and  directed  in  an  unknown  hand.  As  he  opened 
the  envelope,  several  bank-notes  of  considerable 
value  fell  out,  and  a  letter  from  the  same  young 
man,  stating  that  he  had  been  wonderfully  rescued 
from  all  his  difficulties,  and,  therefore,  sent  the  en¬ 
closed  money  as  a  thanksgiving  offering  to  St* 
Joseph,  begging  the  priest  to  use  it  for  the  adorn¬ 
ment  of  his  church. 

24.  Little  Joseph  de  Malinokrobt. 

It  may  please  our  readers,  especially  those  who 
are  acquainted  with  Germany,  to  hear  something  of 
a  man  highly  esteemed  in  that  country. 

The  account  was  sent  to  the  German  editor  of 
these  stories  by  a  friend.  He  writes  as  follows : 

“Lately  two  Franciscan  nuns  from  the  mother- 
house  at  Aix  3a-Chapelle  were  here  to  collect  alms. 
One  of  them,  a  Countess  Stolberg,  told  us  that 
about  a  year  ago  they  were  sent  to  Berlin  for  the 
same  purpose.” 

We  will  now  let  the  Religious  speak  for  herself : 

“  At  Berlin,  Madame  de  Malinckrodt  constituted 
herself  our  especial  hostess  in  the  most  generous, 
self-sacrificing  manner.  She  accompanied  us  every¬ 
where,  and  rendered  us  the  greatest  service. 

“  One  day,  late  in  the  afternoon,  she  took  us  to 
the  house  of  H  rr  Boeig  (engine  manufacturer.) 
We  asked  to  see  Madame  Bosig,  who  soon  appeared, 
but  received  us  coldly  and  indifferently,  and  ever 
appeared,  as  I  thought,  somewhat  annoyed. 

“  While  I  was  making  my  appeal,  she  was  called 
away,  and  asked  us  to  await  her  return ;  but  she 
was  so  long  absent,  that  I  began  to  be  quite  un- 


BT.  Joseph’s  help* 


57 


comfortable  that  Madame  Malinckrodt  should  be  so 
inconveniently  detained ;  and,  perhaps,  even  at 
home,  her  husband  might  also  be  waiting  for  her. 
Ia  my  distress,  I  said  to  myself,  not  thinking  to  be 
overheard : 

“  ‘  St.  Joseph,  please  help  us  that  we  may  re¬ 
ceive  something.’ 

“Butvmy  words  reached  the  sharp  ears  of 
Madame  de  Malic  ckrodt’s  little  son,  who  was  with 
us  (and  who,  as  his  name  was  Joseph,  was  taught 
to  have  great  devotion  to  his  Pa  ron  Saint  )  His 
mother  then  said  to  him  : 

“  ‘  Joseph,  say  a  little  prayer  to  your  Patron 
Saint,  that  these  good  Sisters  may  receive  some 
money  for  their  poor ;  tell  him  to  make  Madame 
Borsig  give  them  one  hundred  dollars.’ 

“The  little  fellow  looked  all  round  the  room  for 
a  picture  of  St.  Joseph,  and  not  finding  one  he 
contented  himself  with  saying  an  kOur  Father,’ 
that  his  petition  might  be  granted. 

“Shortly  afterwards  Madame  Borsig  returned, 
and  at  one  presented  me  with  one  hundred  dollars. 
Then  the  child  said  innocently  to  the  lady  : 

“  ‘  We  all  said  a  prayer  that  you  might  give  us 
something,  and  so  you  have  done  it.’ 

“  When  he  returned  home  he  repeated  the  story 
to  his  father,  and,  indeed,  we  could  not  but  con¬ 
sider  it  remarkab  e  that  Madame  Borsig,  who  ap¬ 
parently  had  taken  very  little  interest  in  us,  should 
give  us  the  largest  sum  of  money  which  we  re¬ 
ceived  from  any  one  in  Germany. 

“May  the  dear  little  Jo  eph  always  remain 
worthy  of  his  heavenly  patron. 


58 


£T.  JOSEPH  S  HELP. 


“  Some  time  previously  he  had  said  to  his  mother 
one  day,  when  he  saw  a  nice  cake  on  the  table : 

“  ‘  Mother,  please  give  me  a  big  slice  of  that  cake 
for  the  parish  priest.’ 

“  And  when  she  asked  4  Why  V  he  replied  : 

“  4  Because  he  preached  this  morning  about  St. 
Joseph.’  ” 

25.  A  Tkue  Story  of  the  Franc  >Prussian  War. 

On  the  28fch  of  February,  1871,  the  Very  Rev, 
Canon  Victor  Pelletier,  of  the  diocese  of  Orleans,  at 
the  close  of  one  of  his  Lenten  discourses,  an¬ 
nounced  to  his  audience  that  the  month  of  St. 
Joseph  would  begin  on  the  following  day.  He 
gave  them  some  reasons  to  encourage  them  to 
share  in  this  devotion,  and  reminded  them  of  the 
decree,  then  lately  published  by  Pius  IX.,  raring 
the  feast  of  St.  Joseph  to  a  festival  of  the  highest 
rank  for  the  universal  Church,  and  then  he  related 
to  them  the  following  occurrence. 

On  Sunday,  the  14th  of  December,  1870,  the 
Prussians  forced  their  way  for  the  second  and  third 
time  into  the  little  town  of  Patay,  a  few  miles  dis¬ 
tant  from  Orleans. 

The  Zouaves  offered  an  heroic  resistance,  but 
were  overpowered  by  numbers,  and  forced 
to  retire  with  great  loss.  Just  as  the  French  troops 
were  retreating,  Madame  L - ,  the  wife  of  a  mer¬ 

chant  in  the  town,  who  had  the  charge  of  her  hus¬ 
band’s  business  remembered  that  there  was  still  a 
large  sum  of  money  in  the  house. 

Calhng  for  two  or  three  of  her  comident.'al  rer- 
vants,  they  consulted  together,  and  fi  ally  reso’vcd 


6$.  J  SitPH  S  HELP. 


59 


to  conceal  the  money  in  a  well  c’ose  to  the  hou  e 
There  was  no  time  to  be  lost,  so  at  last  they  set  ou  , 
the  lady  herself  first  descended  into  the  well,  and 
the  others  followed  her,  each  carrying  a  part  of  the 
money.  While  they  were  still  down  below,  they 
heard  a  loud  stamping  overhead,  then  a  rough 
shout  which  terrified  them  ;  but  they  whispered  to 
each  other  to  keep  quite  quiet,  and  hoped  that  the 
increasing  darkness  might  favor  their  escape  from 
discovery. 

But  in  vain !  Almighty  God  did  not  intend  to 
preserve  them  in  this  way.  A  Prussian  soldier  had 
forced  his  way  into  the  house,  and  finding  no  one 
within,  had  come  out  to  search  the  garden.  He 
soon  perceived  the  well  uncovered,  and  felt  sure 
that  the  inhabitants  were  hidden  there.  He  called 
down  several  times  in  the  darkness,  for  he  could 
not  see  to  the  bottom,  and  when  he  received  no 
answer  he  threatened  to  throw  in  combustibles  and 
set  them  on  fire.  The  Prussian,  as  the  French 
well  knew,  was  quite  capable  of  carrying  his  de¬ 
sign  into  execution,  and  poor  Madame  L - and 

her  servants  were  obliged  to  answer,  and  then  to 
trust  themselves  to  the  mercy  of  their  enemy. 

They  clambered  out  again  as  best  they  could, 

Madame  L - courageously  leading  the  way,  and 

carrying  the  bag  which  contained  the  greater  part 
of  the  money.  The  quick  eye  of  the  Prussian  at 
once  noticed  the  bag. 

“  Wbafc  are  you  hiding  there?”  he  demanded. 

The  poor  lady  thought  it  wiser  to  make  her  sacri¬ 
fice  without  difficulty,  eo,  emptying  the  money  on 
the  ground,  sVe  replied  : 


60 


8t.  Joseph’s  hel£. 


“  Yon  are  the  master,  take  what  you  like.” 

“  I  am  a  soldier,  not  a  thief,”  retorted  the  man. 
‘Put  up  your  money,  and  come  back  quietly  into  the 
house.” 

Madame  L - and  her  servants  obeyed  wi?h 

pleasure,  for  this  declaration  on  the  part  of  the  foe 
was  quite  unexpected.  And,  i  deed,  he  seemed 
more  a  friend  than  an  enemy,  for  all  the  rest  of  that 
night  he  remained  as  a  sentinel  outside  the  hou  e> 
thus  preserving  it  from  being  plundered  by  any  of 
the  other  Prussian  soldiers. 

But  how  was  this  kindness  and  disinterestedness 
to  be  explained  ?  Here  is  the  answer. 

Madame  L - was  a  good  Christian,  and  at  the 

first  announcement  of  danger  she  had  placed  her¬ 
self,  her  house  and  her  possessions  under  the  pro¬ 
tection  of  St.  Joseph,  and  he,  as  we  have  seen,  did 
not  fail  his  client  in  the  time  of  difficulty  and  dis¬ 
tress. 

26.  St.  Joseph  Answers  the  Prayer  of  a  Child. 

The  midnight  hour  had  already  passed,  and  all 
around  was  quiet  and  still.  But  in  one  of  the 
poorest  huts  of  a  village  in  the  south  of  Italy  the 
deep  silence  was  broken  by  cries  and  sobs,  which 
came  from  the  overloaded  heart  of  a  poor  peasant 
girl,  Agnes,  as  she  was  called. 

She  v  as  kneeling  by  the  bedside  of  her  father, 
who  appeared  to  be  in  his  agony.  Only  ha’f  an 
hour  before  the  priest  had  given  him  all  the  last 
Sacraments  and  b’essings  of  holy  Church,  to  pre¬ 
pare  and  strengthen  him  for  his  passage  into  an¬ 
other  world.  And  now  he  was  struggling  with 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


61 


death.  His  weeping  child  supported  him  as  best 
she  could  in  her  arms.  She  had  never  known  her 
mother,  who  died  when  she  was  only  an  infant ;  and 
he  whom  she  was  now  losing  had  been  father, 
mother  and  all  to  her.  Her  tears  fell  fast  over  his 
face  and  breast,  but  the  dying  man  did  not  see  or 
feel  them. 

One  kind  woman  from  a  neighboring  cottage, 
with  that  unfailing  charity  of  the  poor  for  each 
other,  which  seems  equally  a  characteristic  of  all 
nations  and  countries,  was  passing  the  night  in  a 
corner  of  the  room,  in  ca«e  she  might  be  any  use 
or  comfort  to  Agnes,  and  she  spent  her  time  in 
telling  her  beads  for  the  soul  which  seemed  hovering 
on  the  threshold  of  the  other  world. 

Suddenly  about  daybreak  the  bells  of  the  village 
church  began  to  ring. 

“  What  is  that  for  ?”  asked  ignes. 

“Do  you  not  remember,”  replied  the  woman, 
“  that  to-day  is  the  feast  of  Sfc  Joseph  ?” 

“O  blessed  St.  Joseph!”  cried  the  child,  and  fell 
on  her  knees;  “O  dear  Joseph,  help!  Thou 
must  help  me !  Save  my  father  !” 

And  at  the  same  moment  she  felt  inspired  with 
such  a  great  confidence  in  the  powerful  assistance 
of  St.  Joseph  that  she  firmly  depended  on  his 
help.  Then  she  quickly  rose,  put  her  mouth  to 
the  ear  of  her  father  and  eaii  to  him  : 

“Father,  you  will  not  yet  die ;  St.  Joseph  will 
help  you.” 

And,  strange  to  tell,  the  dying  man  slow’y  recov¬ 
ered  his  senses,  opened  his  eyes,  and  gradually 
became  better  and  better.  After  a  few  days  he  was 


62  st.  Joseph’s  help. 

out  cf  all  danger,  although  still  weak  and  suffering, 
for  it  pleased  Almighty  God  only  to  restore  his 
health  by  degrees. 

But  hope  in  the  intercession  of  St.  Joseph  ever 
animated  him,  and  on  the  day  the  bells  rang  again 
to  usher  in  the  sweet  month  of  Mary,  among  the 
crowd  of  devout  peasants  who  hastened  to  do  hom¬ 
age  to  the  blessed  Mother  of  God  were  Agnes  and 
her  father. 

And  no  more  loving  and  grateful  prayers  ascended 
that  day  before  the  throne  of  God  than  came  from 
these  two  simple  hearts,  once  so  sorrowful,  now  so 
grateful  and  glad. 

27.  Two  True  Stories  from  Westphalia. 

I. 

This  little  anecdote  may  seem  trilling  to  some 
readers,  but  we  have  not  hesitated  to  insert  it,  to 
show  that  the  same  Divine  Providence  which  clothes 
the  lilies  of  the  field  in  beauty,  not  equalled  by  all 
the  glory  of  Solomon,  will  not  despise  the  needs  of 
the  poor  when  they  cry  for  help ;  and  that  Christ 
will  take,  if  we  may  venture  to  use  the  expression, 
extra  delight  in  relieving  their  necessities,  through 
the  medium  cf  Bis  Foster-Father. 

One  summer,  on  account  of  the  long  continued 
and  heavy  rains,  the  harvest  was  later  than  usual. 
My  husband,  who  was  already  advanced  in  yesrs, 
sought  in  vain  for  some  assistance,  and  at  last  be¬ 
came  quite  discouraged.  Lmg  before,  we  had 
dedicated  our  house  and  farm  and  all  our  posses¬ 
sions  to  St.  Joseph,  and  one  day  the  words  of  St. 
Teresa  came  into  my  mind,  “  that  she  never  asked 


ST.  JOSEPHS  HELP. 


63 


St  Joseph  anything  without  being  heard to  I 
knelt  down,  and  said  to  St  Joseph  with  the  great¬ 
est  confidence,  and  quite  like  a  child  : 

“  Blessed  Saint,  you  are  the  patron  and  father  of 
our  family ;  do  now  your  duty  and  procure  us 
help.” 

Quite  comforted  by  my  prayer,  I  then  rose,  as 
the  answer  seemed  sure  to  me,  and  quite  calmly 
threw  myse’f  into  the  bosom  of  Divine  Providence, 
waiting  for  the  moment  of  help  to  come,  although  I 
could  not  imagine  how  God  would  answer  me. 

Two  days  later,  a  strong  youth  came  to  the 
house  and  asked  for  something  to  eat ;  I  gave  it  to 
him,  and  asked  if  he  understood  field-work.  He 
answered  in  a  vague  manner,  and  continued  his 
meal.  The  nest  day  he  proceeded  on  his  journey 
during  a  heavy  shower,  but  scarcely  had  he  been 
absent  from  us  for  half  an  hour,  before  he  felt  an 
interior  voice  which  said  to  him  again  and  again  : 
“Go  back  to  those  people.”  This  he  himself  has 
told  me  since,  and  I  need  only  add  that  we  have 
never  had  a  better  aid. 


II. 

A  family  well-known  to  me  had  been  quite  ruined 
by  nr  sf  or  tune. 

The  poor  people,  already  advanced  in  years,  felt 
themselves  forsaken  by  God  and  man.  The  thought 
that  they  were  losing  all  their  possessions,  and  be¬ 
coming  quite  destitute,  caused  them  the  greatest 
grief  of  heart. 

In  this  their  distress,  they  addressed  themselves 
to  St.  Joseph,  and  laid  all  their  needs  and  tribula- 


64 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


tions  before  him,  and  especially  they  made  many 
novenas  in  his  honor,  that  he  might  inspire  them 
what  to  do. 

A  friend  one  day  recommended  them  to  engag 
some  young  man  as  bailiff  who  understood  the 
management  of  a  farm  like  theirs,  and  as  his  advice 
seemed  good,  they  determined  to  follow  it. 

Several  offers  were  made  in  answer  to  their  in¬ 
quiries,  and  they  immediately  began  a  fresh 
novena,  that  they  might  make  a  right  choice.  On 
the  ninth  day  they  received  a  letter  from  a  young 
person  who  seemed  to  possess  all  the  qualifications 
they  were  seeking,  a  d  being  persuaded  that  he 
was  sent  in  answer  to  their  prayer,  they  engaged 
him ;  and  truly  St.  Joseph  did  not  disappoint  theme 
for  no  son  could  have  served  them  more  devotedly, 
or  taken  greater  car©  of  their  interests  than  did 
this  young  man;  through  whose  endeavors  their 
property  was  soon  rescued  from  ruin  and  the 
declining  years  of  this  good  couple  made  peaceful 
and  happy. 

28  A  Letter  to  St.  Joseph. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century  the 
suburb  of  Vienna  called  “Laimgrube,”  d;d  not  con- 
s'st  of  the  splendid  buildings  to  be  seen  there  at  the 
present  day ;  there  were  some  handsome  mansions 
belonging  to  the  wealthy  citizens,  but  by  far  the 
greater  part  consisted  of  miserable  little  houses, 
into  one  of  which  we  must  beg  our  kind  reader  to 
enter. 

It  stood  in  Maria  Heifer  street,  a  miserable  turn 
bledown-looking  place,  ard  if  we  enter  without 


St.  Joseph's  help. 


65 


knocking,  after  the  manner  of  angels  or  story¬ 
tellers,  and  go  up  tlie  rickety  staircase  into  the 
worst  room  of  this  dilapidated  house,  we  shall  find 
it  to  be  tenated  by  the  gifted  musician  Paul  Merten 
and  his  daughter  Josepha,  only  sixteen  years  of 
age,  beautiful  and  well  educated,  and  especially  ac¬ 
complished  in  all  kinds  of  embroidery  and  needle¬ 
work. 

But  just  at  the  time  when  our  story  begins,  mis¬ 
ery  and  want  were  rife  in  Vienna.  Very  few  years 
had  elapsed  since  it  had  been  besieged  by  the  sav¬ 
age  Turl  s,  and  although  they  had  been  successfully 
repu'sed,  yet  war  always  leaves  poverty  and  suffer¬ 
ing  in  its  train,  and  the  inhabitants  of  Vienna  had 
hardly  as  yet  either  the  inclination  of  the  means 
of  ei  j  oying  unnecessary  luxuries. 

But  the  superfluities  of  the  rich  often  constitute 
the  necessary  means  of  subsistence  of  the  poor, 
and  so  it  was  in  the  present  case;  because  no  one 
could  afford  to  take  music  lessons,  or  give  orders 
for  ornamental  needlework,  poor  Paul  Merten  and 
his  daughter  often  had  to  go  to  bed  cold  and 
hungry. 

One  day,  when  their  distress  seemed  to  have 
reached  its  height,  Josepha  could  no  longer  bear  to 
see  her  father  suffering  and  complaining. 

“ Father,”  she  said,  “I  shall  go  and  seek  a  situ, 
ation  as  a  servant,  then  I  can  at  least  send  you  my 
wages.” 

“  What !”  cried  the  old  man,  “  will  you  also  leave 
me?  who  then  t hall  I  have  to  wait  upon  me?  by 
no  means,  I  will  never  allow  it.” 

‘‘But,  dear  father,”  replied  Josepha,  “at  present, 


66 


st.  Joseph's  help. 


I  have  no  other  way  t®  help  you  at  all ;  you  know  I 
wrote  long  ago  to  the  husband  of  my  late  god¬ 
mother,  as  our  last  chance  of  assistance,  and  I  have 
not  as  yet  had  any  answer  at  all.” 

“  No  wonder,”  excitedly  returned  the  old  mar, 
“you  might  as  well  have  written  to  the  devil.”  For 
he  was  wild  with  grief  and  hunger,  and  did  not 
quite  know  what  he  was  saying. 

“Fie,  father!  what  bad  thoughts  misery  puts  in 
your  mind,”  cried  the  child.  “  Let  us  rather  ad¬ 
dress  ourselves  to  my  dear  Patron  Saint,  that  he 
may  obtain  for  us  from  our  Lord  help  and  employ¬ 
ment.” 

“Do  you  mean  to  say,”  retorted  her  father 
bitterly,  “that  you  really  believe  that  the  poor 
carpenter  has  such  great  credit  in  heaven?  Well, 
write  to  St.  Joseph  if  you  like,  and  much  good  may 
it  do  you.” 

“  Father,  that  is,  indeed,  a  good  idea,  which  I 
will  carry  out  immediately,”  replied  cheerfully  the 
devout  little  Josepha ;  “  I  will  write  to  him,  and  my 
white  dove,  to  which  I  cannot  to  day  give  even  a 
crumb  of  bread,  shall  be  my  little  carrier.” 

S  e  sat  down  at  her  father’s  desk,  and  on  a  little 
piece  of  paper  she  wrote  the  following  words : 

“Hail,  Joseph!  have  mercy  on  us  in  our  great 
distress;  ask  our  dear  Lird  to  s?nd  me  some  em¬ 
ployment,  for  my  father  is  suffering  from  hunger. 

“  Thy  faithful  namesake, 

“  Josepha  Merten, 

“  Needlewoman  and  daughter  of  the  musician. 

“  Laimgrube,  in  Maria  Heifer  Street,  No.  13  ” 

She  folded  up  her  note,  tied  it  round  the  neck  of 


bt.  Joseph’s  help. 


67 


the  dove  by  a  silken  thread,  opened  the  window, 
and  the  little  thin  dove  fluttered  slowly  away. 

An  hour  had  hardly  parsed  when  there  sounded 
a  loud  knock  at  the  door.  Old  Paul  Merten  called 
out  “Come  in,”  and  a  stately  handsome  gentlemai 
entered  the  miserable  apartment. 

“Does  the  honorable  Fraulein  Merten  live  here!” 
he  inquired. 

“Yes,”  replied  the  father  shortly,  and  casting 
rather  a  distrustful  look  at  the  stranger.  “  What 
do  you  want  with  her  V 1 

“My  name  is  Joseph  Charles  Hirte,  and  I 
am  a  jeweller  in  the  city,”  he  answered  kindly. 
“I  live  in  this  neighborhood,  and  I  have 
received  a  message  from  S'.  J  Jseph,  to  whom  lam 
very  devout,  to  answer  ia  h's  name  the  letter 
written  to  him  by  your  daughter.  I  want  a  great 
deal  of  work  done,  and  your  daughter  must  execute 
it  nicely  for  me.  I  have  also  enrolled  myself  as  a 
member  in  the  choir  of  the  Carmelite  Church,  and 
I  need  some  lessons  to  make  me  more  perfec. 
Will  you  and  your  daughter  undertake  the  task  ?” 

“O  yes,  with  the  greatest  of  pleasure,”  cried 
Josepha  with  glistening  eyes. 

“  Well,”  continued  Herr  Hirte,  “  you  must  allow 
me  to  pay  a  certain  sum  in  advance,  as  this  is  my 
invariable  rule  in  all  business  transactions.” 

So  saying,  he  laid  five  shining  ducats  on  the 
table. 

“  O  father !”  cried  the  girl,  “  do  you  not  see  how 
favorably  St.  Joseph  has  received  my  letter  ?  How 
fervently  I  shall  thank  him !” 

“Yes,  Fraulein,  do  that  always,  and  surely  you 


68 


t  T.  JOSEPH'S  HELP. 


will  not  remain  without  consolation  and  help,”  said 
the  citizen  gravely  and  earnestly.  “  I  will  send 
you  all  necessary  materials  for  your  work  by  my 
servant,  and  hope  soon  to  hear  from  you.  And 
you,  sir,”  he  a  3ded,  turning  to  Paul  Merten,  “  will 
you  kindly  come  to-morrow  to  begin  my  lessons? 
Here  is  my  address ;  you  cannot  fail  to  fihd  the 
house,  as  outside  is  painted  a  large  picture  of  St. 
Joseph.”  He  then  saluted  them  respectfully  and 
departed. 

The  daughter  threw  herself  into  her  father’s 
arms,  shedding  tears  of  joy  ;  but  he  cast  his  eyes 
down  in  shame  and  repentance. 

And  now  how  simple  was  the  solution  of  this 
affair,  effected  by  the  watchful  care  of  Divine 
Providence. 

The  little  dove,  weak  with  hunger  and  frightened 
aid  fatigued  by  its  unaccustomed  burden,  was  not 
able  to  fly  far,  but  had  sought  refuge  near  at  hand. 
Chance,  or  rather  we  should  say  the  design  of  God, 
had  made  it  alight  at  the  open  window  of  the  room 
where  Herr  Hiite  was  sitting,  who  was  much  sur¬ 
prised  to  see  his  unexpected  guest,  and  to  perceive 
the  tiny  note  suspended  round  its  neck. 

He  untied  it,  and  read  it ;  and,  moved  by  the 
pious  confidence  of  this  child,  had  resolved  at  once 
to  reward  it. 

But  we  must  not  conclude  without  giving  quite 
the  end  of  our  story.  After  some  time,  the  rich 
merchant,  seeicg  and  admiring  the  many  good 
qua  ities  of  Josephs,  asked  her  in  marriage  of 
her  father,  who  willingly  accepted  the  proposal  of 
their  generous  benefactor  j  and  so  it  came  to  pass 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


69 


that  the  poor  Josepha  Merten  became  the  honor¬ 
able  and  wealthy  Madame  Hirte,  who,  as  a  sign  of 
her  gratitude  to  St.  Joseph,  had  a  beautiful  repre¬ 
sentation  made  of  the  saint  and  placed  as  a  shield 
on  the  little  house  where  once  she  had  lived  in  pov¬ 
erty  and  sorrow,  and  until  this  day  the  shield  may 
still  be  seen  there. 

29.  A  Good  Situation  Obtained. 

To-day  we  must  take  a  long  journey  and  go  far, 
far  away,  until  we  reach  Perth,  the  capital  of 
Queensland,  in  Australia. 

There  was  once  living  there  an  Irishman,  of 
course  a  Catholic,  and,  nearly  as  much  a  matter  of 
course,  the  father  of  a  large  family.  He  toiled  day 
and  night  at  work  of  the  hardest  and  most  fatiguing 
description  to  procure  the  necessary  means  of  sub 
sistence  for  his  numerous  family.  Yet  still  the  poor 
mother,  with  an  aching  heart,  was  often  compelled 
to  send  her  little  ores  supperless  to  bed. 

Each  trial  made  by  the  good  man  to  better  his 
condition  had  ended  in  total  failure ;  and  so  years 
passed  on  :  the  children  were  growing  older,  and 
still  the  family  remained  in  the  same  squalid  pov¬ 
erty.  The  mother  suffered  most  of  all;  anxiety 
was  wearing  and  fretting  away  her  very  life,  her 
loving  but  ineffectual  solicitude  for  her  hard-work¬ 
ing  husband,  and  her  boys  and  girls  pale  from  want 
of  nourishing  food,  and  ignorant  from  the  impossi¬ 
bility  of  procuring  education. 

One  evening,  when  both  parents  were  particularly 
harassed  on  account  of  seme  trifling  debt,  which 
they  were  unable  to  discharge,  a  neighbor,  passing 


7D  bt.  Joseph's  help. 

by  lent  them  a  newspaper,  and  the  man’s  eye 
chanced  to  fall  the  first  thing  on  an  announcement 
that  a  certain  situation  had  become  vacant,  which 
was  in  the  disposal  of  the  Government  of  the  colony. 

It  was  a  lucrative  post,  and  one  in  every  way 
suited  to  Ms  wishes  and  capabilities.  But  ho  w 
could  he,  poor  and  unknown,  moreover  a  Catholic 
and  an  Irishman,  compete  for  such  a  position  in 
a  place  crowded  with  bigoted  Protestants 
and  professed  Freemasons?  All  these  dffi 
culties  he  was  only  too  well  aware  of, 
and  yet  the  bitter  poverty  of  his  home,  and 
the  firm  confidence  of  his  wife,  inspired  him  with 
a  courageous  resolution. 

“Dear  wife,”  he  said,  “humanly  speaking,  I  have 
not  the  slightest  chance  of  obtaining  this  desirable 
situation,  which  would  be  the  making  of  our  for¬ 
tune  ;  but  with  confidence  in  the  blessed  St.  Joseph, 
I  will  nevertheless  make  the  attempt.  I  will  go  to 
the  place  and  make  personal  efforts  to  obtain  what 
I  want.  In  the  meantime,  you  and  the  children 
must  pray  that  St.  Joseph  may  bless  my  endeavors.” 

No  sooner  said  than  acted  upon.  The  good  man, 
as  may  be  imagined,  did  not  require  long  to  make 
his  preparations,  and  set  off  early  the  next  morn¬ 
ing,  while  Pat  and  Mike,  Steve  and  Barney,  Molly 
and  Biddy,  were  roused  from  their  sleep  by  their 
mother,  with  the  good  news  that  father  had  gone 
to  get  them  plenty  of  money  and  food,  and  that  if 
they  would  only  pray  hard  to  St.  Joseph,  they 
would  never  be  hungry  nor  ragged  any  more.  And 
so  these  little  Catholic  children,  with  that  unhesi¬ 
tating  faith  that  belorgs  to  their  religion  alone, 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


71 


knelt  down  around  their  devout  mother  and  began 
a  Novena  of  nine  Aves  for  father’s  success. 

How  could  the  tender  mercy  of  God,  Who  calls 
Himself  the  “  Father  of  the  poor,”  be  insensible  to 
the  petitions  offered  Him  from  these  innocent  child¬ 
ish  hearts  ? 

Ii  was  the  ninth  and  last  day  of  the  Novena 
when,  about  half  past  nine  in  the  evening,  a  hasty 
knock  was  heard  at  the  cottage- door,  and  a  man 
thrust  in  one  of  those  brownish- yellow  papers 
known  so  well  to  us  all  under  the  name  of  “Tele¬ 
gram.’ 

The  poor  woman’s  heart  gave  one  great  bound  as 
she  tcok  it  from  the  hand  of  the  messenger.  Was 
it  to  be  the  bearer  of  sorrow  or  j  oy  ? 

She  opened  it;  yes,  joy!  thank  God!  her  hus¬ 
band  had  been  accep'ed. 

A  few  tears  of  the  most  ardent  gratitude  fell 
from  her  eyes  ;  and  then  she  sought  her  children, 
and  made  them  rise  at  on;?e  and  kneel  down  with 
her  to  return  thanks  to  God. 

Now  this  family  lives  in  ease  and  affluence,  and  the 
future  fortunes  of  the  children  seem  secure. 

In  the  town  i4 self  the  news  caused  the  most 
boundless  astonishment.  How  came  this  poor  a  d 
unknown  stranger  to  obtain  such  a  brilliant  posi¬ 
tion,  whilst  the  best  applications  had  been  refused? 

One  day  when  the  Bishop  of  the  diocese  asked 
the  two  parents  who  had  been  the  powerful  friends 
whose  influence  had  secured  them  such  an  excel¬ 
lent  situation,  they  gave  tlrs  frue  and  beautiful 
answer  : 

“  No  one  here  below,  but  one  who  is  m°re  power- 


72 


ST.  JOSEPH  S  HELP. 


ful  and  kind  than  all  friends  on  earth — St.  Joseph  ; 
to  him  we  owe  all  our  fortune.” 

30.  The  Roll  of  Money. 

In  the  year  1864,  so  writes  a  priest  from  Russia, 

I  began  the  construction  of  the  church  in  B - . 

My  money  failing,  I  had  recourse  to  the  interces¬ 
sion  of  St.  Joseph,  and  asked  some  rich  Protestant 
families  for  a  contribution.  The  first  immediately 
gave  £15.  On  my  way  home  I  wished  to  bring  my 
collect  on  to  the  builder,  but,  absorbed  in  my 
anxieties,  I  went,  contrary  to  my  intention,  into  his 
neighbor’s  house.  In  the  centre  of  the  otherwise 
empty  table  of  the  sitting-room  lay  a  roll  of  money. 

1 1  elated  to  the  master  of  the  house  what,  through 
the  intercession  of  St.  Joseph,  I  had  collected  from 
some  Protestant  families  for  the  building  of  the 
church.  The  tears  came  into  his  eyes : 

<k  Take  then,”  sa;d  he,  this  roll  of  money  also, 
for  my  name  is  Joseph.” 

31.  St.  Josfph  Helps  to  Build  Churches  and 

Schools. 

Another  priest  writes : 

My  present  mission  was  only  newly-established  ; 
I  desired  much  to  open  the  poor  school  in  October, 
but  there  were  no  desks,  no  blackboard,  no  stone, 
and  not  a  penny  was  at  my  disposal.  I  began  a 
Novena  to  Jesus,  Mary  and  Joseph,  and  said  only  a 
few  “  Our  Fathers.”  Some  days  afterward,  in  the 
waiting-room  of  the  station,  a  lady  addressed  me. 
I  related  to  her  my  troubles.  As  she  was  getting 
into  the  train  she  put  a  paper  into  my  band  of 


8T.  Joseph’s  help. 


73 


tweuty-five  florins.  That  was  the  first  visible  help, 
and  from  thenceforth  St.  Joseph  has  assisted  me  in 
all  my  troubles,  which  have  not  been  few.  I  had 
nothing  ;  he  has  supplied  all.  It  is  true,  I  wrote 
numberless  letters,  but  he  disposed  the  hearts. 
I  do  not  know  where  the  money  came  from. 
The  greater  part  always  came  in  the  month  of 
March,  though  once  in  January  he  sent  me  $400. 

Now  and  then  St.  Joseph  seemed  to  delay,  and 
then  I  would  humbly  admonish  him.  The  presby¬ 
tery  and  little  church  are  finished,  and  St.  Joseph 
has  paid  all  my  debts. 

32.  St.  Joseph  in  the  Oak. 

In  the  month  of  May,  1856,  by  the  desire  of  the 
parish  priest,  a  mission  was  given  at  Villedieu,  in 
the  diocese  of  Angers,  by  Father  Louis,  a  priest  of 
the  Society  of  Jesus.  At  the  end  of  it,  the  parish 
priest  took  him  to  see  an  extraordinarily  old  oak 
tree,  which  was  one  of  the  curiosities  of  the  place. 
Whilst  Father  Louis  was  occupied  in  measuring  the 
circumference  of  this  giant  oak,  which  was  no  less 
than  twenty  yards,  the  thought  struck  him  to  place 
a  statue  of  St.  Joseph  in  the  large  hole  which  the 
lapse  of  centuries  had  formed  in  its  trunk  by  reason 
of  the  great  age  of  this  hug6  tree ;  which,  at  the 
present  moment  was  only  utilized  as  a  shelter  for 
protection  against  the  weather,  and  which  might 
easily  be  converted  into  a  little  chapel.  The  parish 
priest  read.ly  agreed  to  this  proposal,  and  so  did 
the  family  to  whom  the  oak  belonged,  and  the  ec¬ 
clesiastical  authorities. 

Soon  an  altar  with  a  tabernacle  was  erected,  and 


74 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


a  statue  of  St.  Joseph  was  likewise  placed  in  it,  and 
the  first  time  that  Holy  Mass  was  offered  there,  the 
holy  Spouse  of  the  Immaculate  Mother  of  God  was 
iuvoked  under  the  title  of  “St,  Joseph  in  the  Oak.” 
Tlis  title  was  universally  recogn'zed  with  great 
rejoicing  by  one  hundred  priests  and  fifteen  hundred 
laity  who  were  present  on  the  occasion,  and  has 
belonged  to  the  pilgrimage  ever  since. 

The  tidings  of  this  inauguration  re-echoed 
throughout  the  whole  land,  and  fro  u  thenceforth 
the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  was  continually 
offered  up  in  th  s  new  sanctuary.  More  than  thirty 
thousand  pilgrims  flocked  from  ad  parts,  and  asso¬ 
ciated  themselves  wi  ;h  the  inhabitants  of  Viiledieu 
to  praise  the  saint,  and  to  implore  his  powerful  in¬ 
tercession  in  their  troubles  and  anxieties,  who  had 
become  their  especial  patron  and  protector.  Dating 
from  this  day,  there  has  ascended  an  unceasing 
universal  homage  from  this  modest  sanctuary 
to  the  exalted  Patriarch,  which  in  the  last 
twenty  years  has  steadily  increased.  And 
Heaven  has  responded  to  the  homage  of  the 
pilgrims  by  the  most  remarkable  graces,  which 
show  how  agreeable  to  God  are  their  praises,  their 
petitions,  and  their  pious  promises  in  this  holy 
place. 

The  Holy  Father,  by  a  brief  of  the  23  d  of  June, 
1857,  endowed  and  enriched  this  pilgrimage  with 
indulgences.  This  favor  contributed  not  a  little  to 
raise  it  to  greater  importance  among  the  faithful  of 
the  district,  and  ve  y  soon  it  was  indispensably 
necessary  to  build  a  chapel  to  enable  the  many 
pilgrims  to  satisfy  their  devotion.  The  money  for 


st.  Joseph's  help. 


75 


its  accomplishment  was  altogether  wanting;  but 
the  generosity  of  the  clients  of  St.  Joseph,  of  the 
inhabitant?,  aid  of  the  pilgrims  themselves,  sup¬ 
plied  the  means.  Nor  was  it  very  long  before  this 
also  did  net  suffice.  So  now  there  stands  a  church 
at  the  foot  of  the  old  oak,  worthy  of  its  destina¬ 
tion.  Wi  h  that  faith,  with  what  confidence,  and 
with  what  lively  interest  one  feels  drawn  to  this 
sanctuary  cannot  be  expressed.  Pilgrimages  are 
made  to  it  from  Anjou,  Bretagne  and  Poitou;  and 
even  from  the  northern  and  distant  provinces  of 
Belgium  and  other  quarters  come  pilgrimages  and 
processions.  These  arrive  every  year — frem  sixty 
to  eighty  thousand  pilgrims;  and  over  seven 
hundred  Masses  are  said  at  the  place  of  pilgrimage 
itself.  N  t  a  day  passes  without  bringing  some 
new  pilgrims,  but  the  greatest  number  arrive  at 
the  time  of  the  principal  feast  in  the  month  of 
August. 

Then  all  those  who  have  obtained  hearing  and 
help  from  St.  Joseph,  likewise  those  who  have  fresh 
graces  to  ask  him,  come  on  these  festival  days  to 
join  in  the  solemnities  and  homage  which  there 
take  place  in  honor  of  the  holy  Patriarch,  and  not 
unfrequently  does  his  power  manifest  itself  by  new 
and  wonderful  benefits. 

A  young  priest  had  edified  us  very  much  during 
the  ceremonies  of  the  H  g  1  Maes  of  the  feast.  He 
performed  the  function  of  Deacon  with  extra¬ 
ordinary  piety.  Aftcr  the  Mass,  he  approached  the 
priest  of  the  mission,  who,  with  the  parish  priest  of 
Villedieu,  had  founded  this  sanctuary. 

“Do  you  recognize  me,  Father?'’  he  asked. 


76 


ST.  JOSEPHUS  HELP. 

4< No;  I  do  not  know  that  I  have  ever  met  you.” 

“What!  do  you  know  me?”  said  the  young  priest. 
“  Look  here,”  and  he  showed  him  a  large,  deep  scar 
on  his  hand. 

“What!  is  it  you?”  exclaimed  the  priest;  how 
glad  and  happy  I  am  to  see  you  again.  The  prayer 
of  your  excellent  mother  in  that  desperate  case  was 
then  heard.  St.  Joseph  be  praised.” 

What  had  happened  to  him  ?  To  the  greater 
honor  and  glory  of  St.  Joseph,  we  will  will  relate  it 
to  our  readers 

In  the  winter  of  the  year  1858,  a  little  boy  of 
seven  years  old  accompanied  a  servant  who  was 
going  to  cut  down  an  old  tree.  Whilst  the  servant 
was  making  preparations  for  his  hard  work,  the 
child  seized  the  large  sharply-ground  axe;  but 
being  too  weak  to  wield  it  properly,  the  heavy,  up¬ 
raised  axe  fell  unfortunately  across  his  left  hand,  bo 
that  the  whole  of  the  thumb  and  three-quarters  of 
the  forefinger  were  cut  off ;  the  latter  remaining 
hanging  on  by  a  little  bit  of  skin.  Th9  child  was 
immediately  brought  back  to  his  mother.  When  she 
saw  him  covered  with  blood,  carrying  his  thumb  in 
one  hand,  and  holding  on  the  forefinger,  the  poor 
mother  cried  out :  “Holy  St.  Joseph  in  the  Oak, 
if  you  do  not  heal  my  child,  he  will  be  maimed  for 
life  IM 

The  doctor  who  was  called  in  declared :  “  These 
two  fingers  will  never  heal — it  is  impossible,  and 
even  if  they  should  possibly  do  so,  he  will  never 
be  able  to  use  them  all  his  life.” 

It  was  only  by  the  persistent  entreaties  of  the 
mother,  who  never  wavered  in  her  confidence  in  St. 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


77 


Joseph,  that  the  doctor  was  at  lerg  h  prevailed 
upon  to  bind  up  and  properly  arrange  the  cut 
fingers.  How  great  was  his  astonishment,  when 
after  several  davs  he  untied  tbe  bandages  and 
found  that  both  the  fingers  were  beginning  to  heal. 

Some  months  afterwards,  the  principal  feast  of 
St.  J  seph  in  the  Oak  took  place.  When  Father 
Louis  was  returning  to  his  house,  a  lady  spoke  to 
him,  showing  him  at  the  same  time  the  hand  of  her 
little  boy. 

‘‘Father  Louis,  I  have  been  seeking  you  for 
some  time  to  show  you  what  St.  Joseph  in  the  Oak 
has  done  for  my  child.  I  was  so  afrgid  that  later 
he  would  not  be  able  to  be  a  priest,  which  is  a 
privilege  which  I  always  desired  for  my  child  and 
besought  of  God.” 

The  priest  again  examined  the  little  hand ;  the 
scar  was  still  deep,  broad  and  red,  but  the  finger 
was  quite  pliant  and  fl  xible,  and  nearly  well  again. 
He  led  the  little  protege  of  St.  Joseph  into  the 
midst  of  the  assembled  priests  and  other  persons, 
and  all  prepent  united  in  a  fervent  act  of  thanks¬ 
giving  to  God  and  St.  Joseph. 

Such  was  the  early  history  of  this  deacon,  and  it 
is  only  one  of  the  many  instances  which  might  be 
related  concerning  St.  Joseph  in  the  Oak. 

33.  Cure  3  in  Bohle. 

In  the  parish  of  Bohle,  in  Westphalia,  in  the 
diocese  of  Paderborn,  the  devotion  and  confidence 
of  the  parish  priest  of  St.  Joseph  have  been  re¬ 
warded  by  many  miraculous  cures  and  graces.  We 
will  relate  two  or  three  of  these. 


78 


St.  Joseph’s  help. 


In  the  year  1868,  on  the  4th  of  October,  a  blind 
gentleman  from  Utrecht  (Holland)  was  in  Bohle, 
who  besides  his  blindness  had  a  difficulty  in  his 
breathing.  Having  returned  home,  his  difficulty  of 
breathing  disappeared,  and  he  could  read  the  finest 
print  without  spectacles.  A  year  later  he  returned 
o  Bohle  and  presented  the  parish  priest  with  at 
richly  gilded  silver  ciboriuro,  undoubtedly  the  most 
beautiful  in  the  district,  as  a  lasting  thanks-offering 
for  his  wonderful  cure  through  the  intercession  of 
St.  Joseph. 

The  sister  of  a  parish  priest  in  Holland  was  iu 
Bohle  on  crutches,  and  had  one  leg  shorter  than  the 
other.  When  she  went  home  she  threw  away  the 
crutches,  as  the  short  leg  had  been  miraculously 
lengthened. 

The  proprietor  of  a  refreshment-room  in  a  rail¬ 
way-station  had  the  gout  so  badly  that  he  could 
neither  walk  nor  stand,  and  could  not  be  touched 
without  suffering  great  pain.  He  let  himself  be 
taken  as  well  as  he  could  to  Bohle,  invoking  St. 
J  seph  with  great  confidence,  and  was  immediately 
cured,  so  that  he  could  return  home  without  pain 
or  trouble. 

In  the  year  1867  a  gentleman  was  in  Bohle  with 
his  son,  who  had  been  blind  live  years,  and  had 
amaurosis  in  both  eyes.  After  a  few  days  he  could 
suddenly  see,  and  is  entirely  cured. 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


79 


34.  Miracles  through  St.  Joseph’s  Cord. 

The  BolJandists  relate  the  following  wonderful 
cure,  coi  firmed  even  by  a  Prctes4ant  doctor. 

An  Augustinian  nun  of  Antwerp  suffered 
for  more  than  three  years  such  intense  pain 
that  she  often  fainted  through  it.  Her  state 
was  such  that  the  doctor  declared  that  her 
death  would  inevitably  ensue.  She  betook  herself 
immediately  to  St.  Joseph,  wearing  during  her  in¬ 
vocation  a  cord  dedicated  to  him,  and  made  a 
Novena  with  her  sister  in  his  honor.  On  the  10th 
of  June,  1859,  the  last  day  of  the  Novena,  she 
knelt,  nearly  fainting  with  pain,  before  a  picture  of 
St.  Joseph ;  whilst  she  besought  him  for  her 
health,  her  pain  suddenly  ceased,  and  she  lived 
seven  years  without  ever  again  feeling  anything  of 
it.  When  in  the  year  1842  this  wonder  became 
mere  public  by  being  read  aloud  in  the  Church  of 
St.  Nicholas  at  Verona,  where  the  month  of  March 
was  first  dedicated  to  St.  Joseph,  many  sick  per¬ 
sons  procured  for  themselves  cords  similarly  blest, 
and  through  them  obtained  not  only  health,  but 
also  other  remarkable  graces. 

In  consequence  of  this,  at  Verona,  on  the  19th  of 
March,  1860,  the  Confraternity  of  the  Girdle  of  St. 
Joseph,  which  was  approved  by  Pope  Pius  IX., 
was,  with  the  consent  of  the  Church,  raised  to  an 
Archconfraternity,  and  enriched  with  many  in¬ 
dulgences. 


80 


st.  Joseph's  help. 


35.  Confidence  in  St.  Joseph’s  Intercession  Re¬ 
warded. 

On  the  9,h  of  Ju&e,  1871,  Ludwig  Lanca,  of 
Miglie,  wrote  the  following  to  the  editor  of  the 
Dlvotoy  an  Italian  newspaper : 

A  peasant’s  son,  eighteen  years  old,  was  seized 
with  a  dangerous  illness.  It  was  a  violent  typhoid 
fever,  which  in  the  judgment  of  the  attending 
physician,  left  very  little  or  no  hope  at  all  of  re¬ 
covery,  if  there  were  no  change  after  two  days. 
The  third  day  broke,  and  the  state  of  the  patient 
had  become  so  imminently  dangerous  that,  by  the 
advice  of  the  doctor,  the  la3t  Sacraments  were 
administered  to  him.  In  their  distress  the  family, 
betook  themselves  to  St.  Joseph,  whose  picture  was 
honored  in  the  house.  Scarcely  had  they  begun  to 
say  the  Litany,  when  the  patient  seemed  to  awake 
out  of  a  deep  sleep,  and  desired  them  to  give  him 
the  picture  of  St.  Joseph,  that  he  might  kiss  it, 
saying  that  the  Saint  had  promised  him  the  longed- 
for  grace  of  health  ;  and  from  that  moment  he  re¬ 
covered  so  rapidly,  that  in  three  days  he  was  per¬ 
fectly  restored  and  well. 

36  “Arise!  You  Have  Suffered  Enough.” 

We  take  the  following  from  the  periodical  en¬ 
titled  the  “The  Client  of  St.  Joseph 

For  nearly  five  years  a  strange  and  painful  ill¬ 
ness  attacked  a  healthy  girl  named  Mary  Borchi, 
and  caused  her  parents,  who  lad  used  in  vain  all 
the  arts  of  medicine,  unspeakable  grief.  The  child 
suffered  from  interior  paralysis,  with  frightful  un- 


st.  Joseph's  help. 


81 


heard-of  pains,  and  continual  sickness.  Several 
days  passed  without  the  invalid  being  able  to  take 
any  nourishment  At  last  the  paralysis  seized  also 
the  left  side  of  her  body,  and  by  the  end  of  August 
of  the  following  year  the  unhappy  girl  had  lost 
her  sight  as  well  as  her  speech;  her  hands  were 
drawn  together  with  cramp,  her  st  ffened  limbs  had 
lost  aU  feeling — in  a  word,  she  lay  like  a  corpse  on 
her  bed  of  pain.  But  her  simpl©  faith  had  not 
suffered,  and  was  her  one  consolation  in  the  midst 
of  such  acute  agony.  Whi’e  she,  deaf  and  dumb, 
could  hold  no  conversation  with  her  loved  ones, 
her  weary  eyes  were  often  raised  to  a  pious  picture 
hanging  on  the  wall  of  her  little  bedroom,  repre¬ 
senting  St.  Joseph  and  the  Holy  Family.  She 
looked  upon  St.  Joseph  as  her  only  hope,  and 
though  her  lips  refused  their  service  she  prayed  to 
him  from  her  heart,  and  a  voice  within  her  toTd  her 
that  she  would  be  heard.  And  where  else  indeed 
could  she  have  found  relief  ?  The  doctors  had  ex¬ 
hausted  their  experiments,  her  parents  could  only 
shed  tears,  and  expect  every  moment  that  death 
would  snatch  her  from  them. 

The  poor  girl  was  in  this  state  on  the  night  of 
the  14th  of  March  of  the  same  year,  when  at  about 
one  o’c’ock,  and  no  one  being  in  her  room,  she 
thought  she  heard  a  voice  which  said :  “Bise  now9 
you  have  suffered  enough.”  She  thought  that  she 
was  dreaming,  or  that,  possibly,  one  of  the  family 
said  it  to  her  to  encourage  her,  and  she  remained 
motionless ;  then  she  lost  cor  sciousness.  But  when, 
an  hour  later,  she  opened  her  eyes  as  one  who 
awakes  from  a  deep  sleep,  she  saw  that  she  was  no 


82 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 

longer  in  bed,  but  on  a  sofa  that  was  near,  sup¬ 
ported  with  cushions,  and — O  wonderful ! — she  per¬ 
ceived  she  had  obtained  again  the  use  of  hearing 
and  speech,  and  she  was  easy  and  flexible  in  all  her 
1  mbs,  which  no  longer  retained  any  trace  of  paraly- 
i  is,  and  also  had  regained  all  her  former  abilities ; 
in  a  word,  she  was  entirely  cured.  Moved  with 
the  most  lively  gratitude,  she  threw  herself  on  her 
kcees  before  the  picture,  and  in  prayer  awaited  the 
morning,  to  show  herself  cured  to  her  mother  and 
the  rest  of  the  family.  Who  can  describe  the  aston¬ 
ishment,  the  exclamations  of  joy,  the  embraces,  the 
tears  of  such  a  moment  f 

All  honor  and  praise  to  St.  Joseph,  through 
whose  mediation  this  illness,  which  for  years  had 
resisted  all  medical  art,  was  conquered  and  driven 
away. 

The  young  girl  is  now  in  continual  and  perfect 
health,  and  has  already  several  times,  without  the 
least  exertion  or  effort,  been  to  church  and  thanked 
the  Most  High  for  such  a  complete  miracle. 

We  have  communicated  nothing  but  the  truth, 
and,  indeed,  much  less  than  the  truth,  in  these 
simple  words,  in  which  all  must  see  a  new  example 
of  how  powerful  a  protector  is  St.  Joseph,  the 
Spouse  of  Mary. 

37.  St.  Joseph  Saves  a  Child. 

The  fiemaine  Heligieuse,  of  the  diocese  of  Yannes, 
relates  the  following  wonder,  how  St.  Joseph 
favored  a  little  boy  named  William  Le  Gall. 

It  was  on  a  Thursday,  the  19th  of  February,  at 
half-past  eleven  in  the  morning,  and  several  children 


8T.  JOSEPHS  HELP. 


83 


were  playing  in  the  street,  when  a  heavy  wagon, 
loaded  with  furniture,  drove  up.  William,  all  en¬ 
grossed  with  his  game,  did  not  even  perceive  the 
approach  of  the  horses,  until  one  of  them  actually 
touched  h’m.  He  then  tried  quick’ y  to  escape  to 
one  side,  but  be  ng  frightened,  stumbled  against  a 
stone  and  fell  right  in  front  of  the  wagon.  The 
driver  could  not  suddenly  rein  in  fcis  horses,  which 
were  going  at  a  sharp  trot,  and  the  wheel  of  the 
wagon  passed  right  over  the  child’s  body. 

The  excitement  of  the  other  boys  and  the  passers- 
by  may  be  imagined ;  the  whole  scene  took  place  in 
a  moment,  quicker  than  we  could  describe  it.  Many 
kind  persons  went  at  once  to  raise  the  child,  whom 
they  expected  to  find  quite  dead.  But  before  they 
could  do  so  he  was  already  on  his  feet.  All  his 
companions  cried  out : 

“He  is  dead!  He  is  dead!” 

Now,  although  the  little  fellow  was  standing  on 
his  legs,  perfectly  uninjured,  all  these  exclamations 
scared  him,  and  he  cried  out  in  his  turn  : 

“Perhaps  I  am  dead— perhaps  I  shall  die,  but  I 
must  see  mamma  again  first.” 

And,  with  these  words,  he  ran  home  with  the 
greatest  speed. 

When  his  mother  saw  him  crying  she  thought 
that  he  had  been  quarrelling  with  one  of  his  com¬ 
panions,  and  prepared  herself  to  give  him  a  whole¬ 
some  reprimand ;  but  when  the  boy  exclaimed,  “  A 
wagon  has  run  over  me !  ”  the  poor  terrified  mother 
broke  out  into  violent  weeping,  especially  as  the 
persons  who  had  followed  him  confirmed  his  state¬ 
ment.  But  little  William,  whom  they  immediately 


ST.  JOSEPH S  HELP. 


84 

began  to  undress,  took  a  picture  of  St.  Joseph, 
which  he  had  had  in  his  pocket  when  the  wagon 
went  over  him,  and  said : 

“Do  not  cry,  mamma;  I  shall  not  die:  St. 
Joseph  is  with  me.” 

Then  he  related  that,  at  the  moment  when  he 
saw  himself  in  danger  of  being  crushed,  he  thought 
of  St.  Joseph,  whom  his  mother  had  taught  him 
to  love,  and  pronounced  his  holy  name.  He  had 
felt  that  a  heavy  weight  had  passed  over  him,  but 
nothing  more. 

The  doctor  who  was  summoned,  declared  that 
the  child  had  suffered  no  injury,  only  a  rather  dark 
mark  on  the  skin  showed  the  trace  of  the  wheel. 

On  the  following  day,  and  later  on,  the  boy 
showed  with  joyful  pride  the  little  picture  of  St. 
Joseph  to  all  his  acquaintances,  and  said : 

“It  was  this  that  saved  me.” 

When  he  received  a  sou  from  the  Sisters  of  St. 
Joseph  at  Oluny,  he  said : 

“  I  shall  not  spend  this  sou,  but  I  shall  give  it  to 
St.  Joseph so  saying,  he  went  in  and  laid  it  at 
his  feet. 

His  mother  conceived  a  sincere  veneration  for 
this  great  saint,  had  recourse  to  him  in  all  her  mis¬ 
fortunes,  and,  although  she  was  poor,  offered  him 
little  presents,  mostly  by  the  hands  of  her  eon. 
Without  taking  the  above  related  occurrence  for  a 
miracle,  we  content  ourselves  with  communicating 
it  to  the  honor  of  St.  Joseph. 


st.  Joseph's  help. 


85 


38.  Relief  from  a  Pecuniary  Embarrassment. 

“Some  years  ago,”  writes  a  person  to  us,  “I  was 
in  the  greatest  distress  and  perplexity ;  a  numerous 
family,  and  a  series  of  heavy  necessary 
expenses,  brought  me  into  great  difficulties. 

“  My  wife,  children  and  myself  all  worked  un¬ 
remittingly,  but  we  could  not  get  out  of  our 
trouble.  I  endeavored,  by  making  several  loans, 
to  recover  my  business,  but  the  high  interest  on 
which  I  bad  reckoned  was  my  ruin.  Our  resources 
were  exhausted,  and  so  was  also  our  courage. 
After  a  consultation  we  determined  to  sell  our 
business  house  and  to  live  on  the  purchase  money. 

“  In  order  to  sell  it  advantageously  we  resolved 
to  pray  every  day  to  St.  Joseph.  We  persevered 
in  this  prayer  for  six  months,  and  at  last,  moved  by 
our  tears  and  many  petitions,  as  well  as  by  our 
misery,  St.  Joseph  heard  us,  and  that  in  two  ways ; 
first  he  procured  me  a  secure  loan  of  2,000  francs 
a  year,  and  he  also  sent  a  good  purchaser  for  the 
house.  Thus  were  our  debts  all  paid  and  our  pain¬ 
ful  situation  relieved.”  All  thanks  to  St.  Joseph. 


39.  A  Lost  Paper  Found. 

A  lady  writes  thus : 

“  A  fortnight  ago  I  lost  an  important  deed  of 
capital  to  the  value  of  10,000  francs.  In  our 
circumstances  this  was  a  most  terrible  loss. 

“  What  made  the  thing  worse  was,  that  my  hus¬ 
band  had  entrusted  this  deed  to  my  care,  and  I  had 
every  reason  to  fear  his  just  displeasure. 


86 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


“  In  my  distress  I  had  recourse  to  St.  Joseph, 
and  promised  to  publish  it  in  the  monthly  periodical 
called  the  ‘  Propageteur,’  if  I  found  the  lost  paper 
through  his  favor.  After  long  and  most  fruitless 
searches  the  paper  came  to  light  in  a  most  unex¬ 
pected  manner.  I  thanked  St.  Joseph  with  the 
deepest  gratitude,  feeling  how  truly  I  was  indebted 
to  his  intercession  for  this  favor.” 

40.  The  Coed  op  St.  Joseph. 

Angelique  Brixard,  nee  Erancillon,  of  St.  Etienne 
de  Crossey  (Voiron  Isere),  offers  her  humble  thanks 
to  St.  Joseph  for  the  favor  of  a  remarkable  cure 
she  has  obtained  through  his  intercession. 

At  the  end  of  July  of  the  present  yea*  (1884)  she 
was  ill,  bedridden,  and  could  scarcely  move.  Her 
pains  were  exceedingly  severe,  and  as  the  physicians 
could  give  her  no  relief,  she  betook  herself  to 
prayer,  praying  herself,  and  obtaining  the  prayers 
of  others. 

When  she  had  been  about  five  months  confined 
to  her  bed,  a  large  abscess  formed  on  her  left  side, 
which  was  lanced  by  the  two  doctors  who  attended 
her ;  immediately  afterwards  a  fresh  tumor  showed 
itself  on  the  hip-joint,  and  the  doctors  declared  the 
bone  to  be  diseased  ;  the  pains  she  suffered  were 
unendurable,  and,  believing  her  end  was  approach¬ 
ing,  she  received  the  last  Sacraments  and  took 
leave  of  all  her  friends,  endeavoring  to  console  them, 
especially  her  husband,  who  was  in  despair  at  the 
thought  of  losing  her. 

Just  at  this  time  when  her  sufferings  and  illness 
were  at  their  worst,  she  received  from  her  brother, 


ST  j  seph's  help. 


87 


who  was  the  chaplain  of  the  Sisters  of  our  Lady  of 
the  Holy  Cross,  a  letter  containing  a  cord  of  /St. 
Joseph” 

‘•Gird  yourself  wi.h  this  cord,”  wrote  her  brother 
to  her ;  “  to-morrow  I  will  begin  a  Novena  in  honor 
of  St.  Joseph,  the  spouse  of  the  ever  Blessed  Vir¬ 
gin  ;  the  Sisters  of  Charity,  who  feel  deeply  in¬ 
terested  in  you,  wiil  redouble  their  prayers  during 
these  nine  days,  and  I  will  also  solicit  others  to 
unite  with  us.” 

Her  husband  and  children  likewise  began  the 
Novena  with  great  confidence,  and  they  girded  her 
with  the  precious  and  holy  girdle. 

Their  confidence  did  not  go  unrewarded.  Even 
on  the  second  day  of  the  Novena  her  sufferings  had 
begun  to  decrease,  an  abscess  which  the  doctors 
had  decided  t)  lance  disappeared  as  if  by  magic, 
to  the  great  surprise  of  her  physician,  who  could 
hardly  believe  his  eyes. 

At  the  end  of  the  Novena,  though  she  still  suf¬ 
fered  and  was  weak,  yet  she  was  getting  really 
better,  and  all  danger  of  death  was  past;  since  that 
time  her  state  has  daily  improved;  her  left  leg, 
which  had  become  contracted  and  shorter  than  the 
other,  became  longer  again,  and  she  was  able  to 
walk  without  difficulty.  Thus  was  confidence  in  St. 
Joseph  rewarded. 

41.  St.  Joseph  Rewards  Persevering  Confidence. 

During  the  month  of  March,  multitudes  of  devout 
souls  venerate  St.  Joseph,  and  are  accustomed  to  ask 
the  foster- father  of  Jesus  for  some  particular  grace. 
And  how  many  of  the  faithful  have  seen  the  confidence 


88 


ST.  JOSEPH’S  HELP. 


they  have  placed  in  the  most  pure  Spouse  of  Mary 
rewarded  in  a  remarkable  manner.  We  ourselves 
are  acquainted  with  a  pious  soul  belonging  to  the 
better  classes,  who  recommends  all  her  petitions  to 
the  great  Patron  of  the  Catholic  Church.  In  the 
year  1884  she  became  ill  and  quite  unable  to  per¬ 
form  her  duties,  which  up  to  that  time  she  had 
fulfilled  with  the  greatest  exactitude.  The  evil  in¬ 
creased  to  such  an  extent  that  at  last  she  was  not 
able  to  move  without  excruciating  pain.  It  was 
feared  that  the  spinal  marrow  was  affected.  In  this 
distress  the  lady  herself,  as  well  as  many  of  her 
friends,  who  were  most  anxious  for  her  recovery, 
had  recourse  to  St.  Joseph.  The  month  of  March 
was  approaching,  and  it  was  resolved  to  offer  up 
the  devotions  to  obtain  the  desired  cure.  Many 
approached  the  Holy  Table,  and  many  Novenas 
were  made  to  procure  help  for  the  severely- tried 
lady,  but  all  in  vain:  the  disease,  instead  of  de¬ 
creasing,  seemed  to  gain  ground.  Nevertheless, 
the  sick  person  did  not  lose  courage  or  confidence, 
She  used  to  say:  “It  seems  to  me  that  it  does  not 
yet  please  St.  Joseph  to  intercede  for  me,  and  so 
Gad  will  not  answer  my  prayer.”  She  continued 
to  pray  to  St.  Joseph,  saying:  “Hail,  holy  Joseph 
help  me ;  thou  knowest  that  I  only  desire  my  health 
in  order  to  labor  for  others,  and  especially  for 
youth.” 

After  suffering  violent  pains  for  a  whole  year, 
she  commenced  another  Novena,  begging  her 
friends  once  more  to  join  her  in  prayer.  When,  be¬ 
hold!  she  began  to  grow  better,  and  in  a  few  weeks 
was  able  to  leave  her  sick  bed. 


ST.  jo  eph's  help. 


89 


In  a  short  time  she  was  again  the  provid¬ 
ence  to  her  neighborhood,  visiting  and  comforting 
the  poor  and  afflicted.  If  any  one  asked  her  how 
the  happy  change  had  occurred,  she  would  say: 

“No  one  but  St.  Joseph  cured  me;  I  have  not 
invoked  him  in  vain.” 

42.  From  Olden  Times. 

Sister  Johanna  of  the  Angels,  Prioress  of  the 
convent  of  the  Ursu’ines  at  Laon,  in  France,  was 
seized  with  a  dangerous  pleurisy;  she  was  at 
death’s  door  and  already  given  np  by  the  doctors, 
when  she  was  suddenly  restored  in  a  most  wonder¬ 
ful  manner. 

This  extraordinary  case  was  examined  by  the 
Bishop  of  Poitiers,  who  confirmed  the  truth,  and 
published  an  account  of  it  in  the  year  1637.  We 
will  let  the  Sister  to  whom  it  happened  relate  the 
fact  in  her  own  words: 

“I  was,  as  a  dying  person,  lying  in  my  last 
agony,  bereft  of  the  use  of  my  senses,  and  able  to 
control  only  my  reason.  In  this  state  I  had  a 
vision  of  a  large  and  bright  cloud,  in  which  on  one 
side  sat  my  guardian  angel,  under  the  appearance 
of  a  youth  of  eighteen  years,  hia  head  adorned  with 
goldtn  locks,  and  a  lighted  candle  in  his  hand. 

“  On  the  other  side  was  the  glorious  St.  Joseph, 
with  a  face  that  shone  like  the  sun  with  superhuman 
majes  y  ;  he  appeared  as  a  man  between  forty  and 
forty-five  years  of  age;  the  hair  of  his  head  was 
beautiful  and  long,  of  a  chestnut-brown  color.  He 
smiled  kindly  on  all  who  were  around  my  bed ; 
then,  turning  to  me,  he  bent  over  me,  put  his  right 


90 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


hand  on  my  side  and  anointed  it  with  oil,  or  some 
other  liquid.  I  felt  that  my  side  was  wet,  and  in 
the  ssme  moment  I  knew  that  I  was  well,  and  said 
so  to  those  around  me.” 

Sister  Johanna  of  the  Angels  then  immediately 
arose  from  her  bed,  in  which  she  had  lain  in  a 
dying  state  for  a  fortnight,  after  having  been  bled 
nine  times  and  quite  tortured  by  the  pain  in  her 
side. 

All  who  saw  this  instantaneous  cure  were  amazed, 
especially  the  doctor,  who  was  not  a  Catholic,  but 
a  Calvinist.  When  be  entered  the  room  and  saw 
the  bed  empty,  and  all  on  their  knees,  and  the 
Sister  coming  to  meet  him  smiling,  and  in  her 
habit,  he  stood  still  with  astonishment,  and  ended 
by  saying : 

“  With  God  nothing  is  impossible.” 

43.  One  of  St.  Joseph’s  Latest  Favors. 

Not  far  from  Triest  stands  a  poor,  very  poor 
orphan  asylum.  A  good  Capuchin  Father  is  th9 
founder  of  it ;  it  is  an  old  solitary  house  overlook¬ 
ing  the  bay.  The  care  of  this  modest  home  is  en¬ 
trusted  to  an  unpretending  honest  woman,  by  name 
Giovanna.  Two  or  three  of  her  elder  pupils  re- 
ma’n  with  her  in  order  to  help  and  ass;st. 

Thirty  orphans  were  maintained  and  provided 
for  in  this  house,  and  besides  this  they  received 
religious  ins’ ruction,  and  were  taught  read¬ 
ing,  writing  and  arithmetic,  and  also  the  necessary 
skill  in  sewing,  knitting,  washing,  ironing,  cooking, 
and  gardening,  in  order  to  fit  them  later  to  take 
good  situations. 


ST.  JO  eph's  help. 


91 


I  remember  the  exact  date  when  the  follow¬ 
ing  occurrence  took  place ;  it  was  on  the  11th  of 
January  of  this  year  (1886).  One  of  the  youngest 
children,  Antoinette,  had  been  ill  for  a  long  time. 
It  was  a  wearisome  illness.  To  express  myself 
shortly,  I  will  only  say  that  the  pains  in  her  head, 
stomach  and  che  t  were  so  great  that  she  often 
beat  the  suffering  parts  with  both  her  hands,  ard 
tore  in  pieces  the  clothes  that  were  rear  her.  The 
doctor  as  well  as  the  priest  wished  to  have  her 
taken  to  the  hospital,  but  the  good  Giovanna 
earnestly  begged  them  to  desist  from  this  idea. 
The  child  was  still  too  young  for  the  reception  of 
the  Holy  Sacraments  of  Penance  and  the  Holy 
Eucharist,  and  it  wTas  only  with  difficulty  that  tbe 
priest  could  perform  the  last  anointing.  I  beard 
that  while  he  was  performing  this  ceremony  she 
tore  his  stole,  which  came  near  her  hands,  into 
shreds. 

Finally,  after  a  few  days,  she  lay  there  motion¬ 
less,  her  arms  crossed  on  her  breast,  apparently  un¬ 
able  to  see,  hear,  feel  or  speak. 

Her  tongue  projected  out  of  her  mouth  so 
swollen  that  it  was  a  wonder  how  she  could  still 
breathe ;  her  teeth  were  buried  in  her  tongue,  so 
that  they  were  covered  by  it,  and  seemed  as  if  they 
would  bite  it  in  two.  The  elder  girls  absve  men¬ 
tioned  watched  two  and  two  alternately  by  the 
dying  child.  The  priest  and  doctor  were  both  of 
opinion  that  she  could  only  last  a  few  hours. 
Nevertheless,  this  stat6  was  protracted  from  Monday 
until  Friday,  and  during  all  this  time  they  were 
unable  to  put  any  nourishment  into  her  mouth. 


92 


st.  Joseph's  help. 


All  at  one©  there  was  a  cry  heard  in  the  house ; 
it  cam©  from  the  children  who  were  watching.  All 
hastened  to  the  sick  room. 

Antoinette  had  raised  her  hands  from  her  nearly 
lifeless  body,  and  made  a  motion  as  if  to  write. 
They  brought  her  holy  water,  which  she  did  not 
touch,  but  continued  to  make  signs  that  she  wished 
to  write.  Then  they  gave  her  a  pencil  and  paper, 
and  sh©  wrote,  with  a  trembling  hand ; 

i;l  see  a  procession  of  men,  like  princely  soldiers 
in  red,  and  their  leader  is  an  old  man  who  carries  a 
crown  and  a  lily.” 

Repeatedly  during  the  morning  she  made  signs 
to  write,  and  when  they  gave  her  a  pencil  and 
paper  she  wrote  always  the  same  words.  After  a 
time  those  in  the  house  again  heard  the  children 
call,  and  all  again  assembled  in  the  room.  There 
sat  little  Antoinette  upright  in  her  bed  with  closed 
eyes,  and  whispering : 

“  Jesus  !  Jesus  1  Joseph !  Joseph  !” 

Then  she  stretched  out  her  hand  as  if  to  take 
something  invisible  from  an  unseen  person,  and 
rubbed  her  eyes  with  it,  first  one  and  then  the 
other.  Then  she  took  a  part  of  it,  put  it  into  her 
mouth  and  ate  it ;  then  she  joined  her  hands  to¬ 
gether,  and  prayed  and  opened  her  eyes  When 
she  saw  them  standing  round  her,  she  began  to 
jump  like  a  child,  and  cried  out: 

“  I  am  cured  I  I  am  well !  Saint  -  Joseph  came 
to  me  and  told  me  to  rub  my  eyes  with  the  lily,  and 
eat  a  piece  of  it,  then  to  pray.  Now  I  will  get  up 
and  dress  myself,  and  go  down  to  church  to  thank 
him  at  his  altar.” 


LT.  J  SIPH’S  HELP. 


93 


The  poor  little  orphans  all  fell  on  their  knees 
around  her,  exclaiming: 

“  A  miracle  !  A  miracle !” 

Giovanna,  whom  I  have  known  ten  years,  con¬ 
fessed  to  me  that  she  was  quite  overcome  with  the 
impression;  but  that  she  wished  to  keep  the  child 
back  in  order  to  avert  a  possible  disappointment. 

“Antoinette,”  she  said,  “you  must  not  S£eak, 
you  must  lie  down  ;  the  doctor  said  that  you  were 
to  keep  perfectly  still.” 

But  the  child  laughed. 

“  Oh,  that  is  not  necessary  now !  I  am  cured  ard 
well ;  I  must  dress  myself  and  go  down ;  he  told 
me  to  do  so,”  and  she  ran  round  the  room  to  get 
her  clothes  together. 

When  they  saw  how  well  she  was,  what  a  fresh 
color  she  had,  how  blight  her  eyes  were,  her  tongue 
rosy-red  and  small  again,  and  without  any  trace  of 
being  bitten,  they  brought  her  something  to  eat, 
dressed  her,  and  took  her  into  the  chapel,  and  joined 
with  her  in  nuking  thanksgiving. 

At  this  time  they  were  expecting  the  doctor,  and 
the  child  wished  to  open  the  door  for  him  herself, 
only  Giovanna  ordered  that  she  was  to  sit  on  the 
bed  and  wait  for  him.  When  he  entered  the  room 
h©  asked : 

“Where  is  my  lit  le  patient?  Have  you  sent  her 
away  %  Is  she  dead  ?” 

“  Here  I  am  1”  she  cried,  radiant  with  joy. 

The  doctor  stood  for  a  moment  as  if  petrified, 
and  for  five  minutes  spoke  not  a  word.  They  re¬ 
lated  to  him  all  the  above-mentioned  circumstances, 
whereupon  he  made  the  following  declaration : 


94 


8T.  Joseph’s  help. 


ft  I  am  not  a  Catholic,  yet  I  feel  myself  obliged 
to  declare  that  yesterday  I  affirmed  that,  humanly 
speaking,  it  was  impossible  for  this  child  to  live 
another  twenty- four  hours.  Yes,  ev  n  it  I  had  euc- 
ceeded  in  some  measure  in  restoring  her  health, 
she  would  still  have  remained  deaf  and  dumb  and 
blind,  and,  at  most,  imbecile ;  for  she  ha  1  suffered 
from  a  very  severe  attack  cf  brain  fever.” 

In  the  meantime  his  lordship,  the  Bishop,  had 
been  sent  for,  and  he  came  with  many  others  to  see 
her.  I  myself  was  a  long  time  alone  with  Giovanna 
and  the  child,  and  heard  the  story  from  bo.h  of 
them.  The  child  is  still  so  young  and  innocent  as 
to  wonder  why  any  one  should  want  to  see  her. 
His  lordship,  the  Bishop,  wishes  the  month  of 
March  to  be  kept  here  with  great  solemnity,  and 
that  on  the  19th,  the  feast  of  $  Joseph,  the  child 
should  be  allowed  to  make  her  First  Communion. 

1  will  mention  two  more  circumstances  which 
made  a  deep  impression  on  me. 

Lately  I  had  this  little  child  alone  with  me,  and 
she  came  and  leaned  herself  against  my  knees.  Her 
bright,  black  eyes  appeared  for  a  while  full  of  grati¬ 
tude,  then  she  said : 

“Signora,  when  you  wish  to  obtain  anything 
from  St.  Joseph  say  to  him,  4  St.  J  jseph,  thou 
friend  of  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus,’  and  he  can 
refuse  you  nothing.” 

The  other  circumstance  I  heard  from  Giovanna. 

“Signora,  every  one  is  so  astonished  at  this 
miracle ;  but  our  poor  house  is  a  continual  living 
wonder.  We  are  thirty-seven,  thirty-three  children 
and  four  nurses.  We  have  no  money,  oFen  not  a 


ST.  JOSEPHS  HELP. 


95 


kreuzer  (abou'i  three-quarters  of  a  penny)  in  the 
house,  and  sometimes  know  not  how  wa  shall  gat 
our  breakfast  the  next  morning ;  but  then  there 
comes  a  little  present  from  some  client  of  St. 
Jo  eph,  with  an  alms ;  and  so  w©  live  in  God’s 
ban.  s.” 

All  who  have  the  honor  and  love  of  St.  Joseph  at 
heart  will  welcome  in  this  simple  statement  a  new 
and  powerful  inducement  to  confide,  firmly  and 
sincerely,  all  their  troubles  to  tha  intercession  of 
this  glorious  Saint. 


III.— ST.  JOSEPH  OUR  HELPER  IN  SPIRIT¬ 
UAL  NECESSITY. 


1.  St.  Joseph  a  Good  Mxssioneb. 

The  foundation  of  the  mission  of  Mandera,  near 
Bagamoyo,  in  the  Vicariate  Apostolic  of  Zrnguebar, 
in  Africa,  is  in  a  particular  manner  the  work  of  St. 
Joseph.  The  Reverend  Father  Baur,  Apostolic 
V.C9  Prefect  of  Zanguebar,  wrote  the  following 
account  concerning  it : 

“  It  was  in  the  year  1880.  Wa  desired  much  to 
establish  a  station  between  Bagamoyo  and  Mhonda. 
Therefore  I  undertook  a  journey  to  find  a  suitable 
village  for  a  Christian  settlement.  Father  Machor 
accompanied  me.  I  r£ commended  the  j  uroey  to 
St.  Joseph,  and  we  carried  with  us  a  relic  of  the 
Saint  to  protect  and  lead  us  aright.  The  19th  of 
March,  the  feast  of  the  Saint,  was  fixed  upon  for 
the  day  of  departure. 

“After  we  had  celebrated  Holy  Mass  wa  set  out 


96 


et.  Joseph’s  help. 

for  IJdon,  to  which  district  Mandera  belongs,  and 
which  is  inhabited  by  poor  savages,  who  are  wor¬ 
shippers  of  fetiches  and  also  cannibals.  A  great 
part  of  our  journey  lay  through  this  country,  wh'ch 
had  never  before  been  visited  by  any  Europeans. 
We  were  not  eaten  up!  sfil!,  w©  were  told  from 
time  to  time  by  the  natives  that  w©  seemed  likely 
to  be  delicate,  tasty  morsels,  and  if  we  would  allow 
it  they  would  be  very  pleased  to  make  an  experi¬ 
ment  of  the  flavor  of  our  guides ! 

“  Many  of  these  speeches  were  made,  we  believe, 
as  grim  jests;  all  the  game,  they  wer©  not  very 
comforting  to  us.  However,  we  bora  them  w’th  as 
good  a  grace  as  we  were  able,  but  each  time  any 
question  arose  concerning  a  settlement  in  the 
country  we  were  met  by  a  decided  refusal.  I  saw 
that  nothing  could  be  effected  by  human  means, 
and  so  I  said  to  St.  Joseph : 

“ 4  Thou  art  our  L  ader ;  for  the  glory  of  thy 
Divine  Son,  thou  hast  laid  open  to  us  this  country, 
and  the  merciful  designs  of  God  have  shown  us  the 
needs  of  thee©  poor  souls.  Now,  therefore,  do 
whatever  thou  wiehest,  but  with  regard  to  us,  we 
will  return  only  when  the  site  of  the  future  mis¬ 
sion  is  decided  upon.” 

“And  so  we  continued  our  journey  without 
knowing  whither  we  were  travelling ;  going  on  at 
random,  straying  about  from  one  village  to  another, 
always  hoping,  yet  never  succeeding,  from  one  chief 
ordered  to  another;  until,  at  last,  in  Holy  Week, 
we  arrived  in  the  territory  of  a  chief  named  Kingaru. 
The  village  was  called  Mandera. 

“  As  soon  as  Kingaru  caught  sight  of  us,  he  stop- 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


97 


ped,  took  a  step  backwards,  uttered  violently  some 
guttural  sounds,  shook  his  head,  looked  at  us  again, 
tnd  the  more  he  gazed  tho  more  numerous  became 
the  manifestations  of  his  surprise,  until  at  last  he 
burst  out  into  the  following  speech : 

“  ‘  Hear  my  words,  hear !  Tnis  night,  whether  I 
was  asleep  or  awake  I  know  not,  but  I  saw  before 
me  a  beautiful  old  white  haired  man,  who  touched 
me  as  if  he  would  awake  me,  and  then  said 
to  me : 

“‘“Kingaru,  look!  There  are  two  white  men 
and  a  little  caravan  coming  to  thee  j  receive  them 
kindly,  and  give  them  all  they  desire.’  ” 

“ ‘  And  it  was  you  two,  you  two— thou  and  thou, 
whom  I  see  before  me.  Ha !  how  does  this  hap¬ 
pen  ?  How  is  this  possible  V  ” 

“  And  without  leaving  us  time  to  utter  even  one 
word,  he  called  all  the  people  of  his  village  and 
exclaimed  to  them :  i  Look  here !  these  are  the 
two  white  men  whom  I  saw  last  night  with  the 
beautiful  cld  man,  as  I  told  you  this  morning  when 
I  arose.  L  ok!  here  they  are !’ 

“  The  good  people  looked  at  us  with  great  sur¬ 
prise.  We  ourselves,  at  first  also  astonished  at  the 
behavior  of  the  chief,  soon  found  the  key  to  this 
mystery.  St.  Joseph  had  interposed  in  our  behalf, 
and  from  the  depths  of  our  hearts  we  thanked  him 
while  we  asked  him  to  continue  his  kind  mediation 
until  the  end. 

“  After  the  first  emotions  of  excitement  had  sub 
sided,  I  announced  to  Kingaru  the  purpose  of  our 
journey,  and  asked  him  for  some  portion  of  land  in 
his  dominions. 


98 


1ST.  JOSEPH  S  HELP. 


u  ‘  All  that  I  have  belongs  to  you,’  answered  the 
worthy  man.  ‘  My  house  is  yours,  my  fields  are 
yours,  my  people  are  yours  5  take  what  pleases  you, 
only  remain  with  me.’ 

“Wosi&yed  there,  indeed,  for  eight  days,  and 
kept  the  Eesst  of  Easter  in  this  unknown  village, 
shown  to  us  and  entrusted  to  our  care  by  St. 
Joseph.  During  the  whole  time  Kingarn  endeav¬ 
ored  to  bestow  on  us  every  mark  of  kindness  and 
attention.  He  gave  us  shelter  in  one  of  his  huts, 
provided  us  with  sheep,  fowls,  rice,  bananas,  and 
everything  we  could  desire  in  the  way  of  food, 
showed  us  different  parls  of  his  territory,  pointing 
out  the  best  situations,  and  loaded  us  with  proofs 
of  his  respect  and  attachment. 

“  As  soon  as  the  site  of  our  house  was  fixed  upon 
we  departed,  but  Kingaru  insisted  on  being  himself 
our  guide,  and  would  not  leave  us  until  he  had 
brought  us  again  safely  to  the  frontiers  of  Udon, 
Truly  this  good  and  simple  African  belonged  to  the 
number  of  these  to  whom  Almighty  God,  accord¬ 
ing  to  the  opinion  of  St.  Thomas  of  Aquin,  would 
sxmer  send  an  angel  to  give  them  baptism  than 
allow  them  to  perish. 

“  A  fortnight  later  he  visited  me  in  Bagamoyo, 
and  as  the  time  drew  near  to  begin  the  building  he 
came  once  more — this  time  accompanied  by  a 
numerous  retinue  to  accompany  the  missioners  and 
to  carry  their  baggage. 

“  His  devotedness  towards  us  is  still  unimpaire  I ; 
he  is  now  a  fervent  Christian,  and  each  day,  with 
many  of  his  people,  assists  devoutly  at  the  Holy 
Sacrifice. 


6T.  Joseph’s  help. 


99 


“Thus  has  St.  Joseph  acted  for  Mandera.  To 
him  be  praise,  honor  and  thanks  l  ” 

2.  Stkange! 

In  the  year  1843  a  professor  of  the  Society  of 
Jeius,  in  Sitten  (Waliis),  became  ill.  The  young 
religious,  distinguished  by  talent  as  well  as  virtue, 
felt  death  approaching.  The  rector  of  the  college 
was  Father  Theodore  Neltuer,  well-known  through¬ 
out  Switzerland,  France  and  Germany  by  his  apos¬ 
tolic  labors. 

When  it  became  his  duty  to  administer  the  last 
Sacraments  to  the  dying  Father,  he  was  the  more 
moved,  as  he  had  only  lately  lost  two  other  mem¬ 
bers  of  his  community. 

After  all  the  touching  rites  were  concluded,  he 
went  up  to  the  bedside,  and,  in  a  tone  of 
parental  authority,  ordered  the  Father,  as  soon  as 
he  entered  heaven,  to  claim  the  intercession  of  his 
great  patron,  St.  Jos.  ph,  in  order  that  a  worthy 
substitute  might  be  sent  to  fill  his  place  in  the 
Society.  The  dying  religious  promised,  and  soon 
after  his  soul  passed  away  on  the  6th  of  July. 

Now,  what  came  to  pass  ? 

In  the  autumn  of  the  same  year  twelve  novices 
presented  themselves,  and  eight  of  them  bore  the 
name  of  ‘  Joseph.’  Three  more  ‘  Josephs’  shortly 
followed. 

And  among  the  number  of  these  was  reckoned 
the  name  of  the  famous  Father  Kleutgen.* 

*  This  name,  so  renowned  in  Germaay  a  few  years  ago. 
may  not  be  so  well  known  to  oar  American  readers,  bat  wa 
did  not  like  to  change  the  text  of  the  original. 


100 


£T.  JOSEPHS  HELP. 


3.  A  Touching  Confession. 

The  following  account  was  sent  from  a  reliable 
source  to  the  ‘  Propagateur,’  concerning  a  touching 
conversion  at  Cannes,  in  the  south  of  France, 
which  was  the  work  of  our  glorious  Saint. 

‘In  the  beginning  of  the  year  186— - 1  gave  to  a 
pious  lady  two  copies  of  “  The  Devotion  for  the 
Seven  Sundays  of  St.  Joseph,”  who  immediately 
commenced  making  them. 

“A  poor  woman,  the  wife  of  a  workman,  came 
one  day  to  see  her,  and  told  of  the  grief  she  was 
in  on  account  of  her  husband,  who  had  for  many 
years  neglected  his  religion,  and  all  her  efforts  to 
convert  him  had  hitherto  been  fruitless.  Then 
this  good  lady  advised  her  to  have  recourse  to  St. 
Joseph,  and  to  keep  the  seven  Sundays  in  his 
honor,  giving  her  for  this  purpose  one  of  the  above 
mentioned  copies. 

“  The  poor  woman  thanked  her  and  began  this 
salutary  devotion  with  great  fervor  and  confidence, 
which  increased  more  and  more  the  nearer  she 
came  to  the  end  of  it.  At  last,  in  the  seventh 
week,  firmly  relying  on  the  support  of  fhe  holy 
husband  of  Mary,  she  made  a  firm  resolution  that 
she  would  dare  a  last  attack,  and  speak  once  more 
on  a  subject  which  she  had  been  long  forbidden 
even  to  name. 

u  To  encourage  herself,  she  armed  herself,  if  I 
may  say  so,  with  a  picture  of  Sl.  Joseph,  and  one 
day,  holding  it  up  before  her  busbar  d,  she  said  to 
him  genlly  : 

“  O  mon  cher  ami,  if  you  would  only  take  refuge 


101 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 

in  this  blessed  Saint,  I  am  convinced  that  he 
would  obtain  for  you  the  grace  of  returning  to 
God.” 

u  To  her  intense  surprise  and  great  joy  he 
took  the  picture  from  her  hand,  looked  at  it 
thoughtfully,  then  kissed  it  reverently,  and 
finally  said  that  he  would  go  to  confession  at  once. 

“  He  carried  out  his  good  intention  faithfully, 
and  received  the  Sacrament  of  Penance  with  good 
dispositions  and  many  tears,  which  were  a  proof 
of  his  sincere  contrition  and  desire  of  amendment. 
The  holy  season  of  Lent  was  drawing  to  an  end, 
and  a  retreat  for  men  was  being  given  in  the  town. 
This  true  convert  followed  all  the  exercises  with 
great  fervor,  and  at  the  close  of  it  had  the  happi¬ 
ness  of  once  again  receiving  Holy  Communion. 

“  Full  of  courage,  he  made  a  few  days  later  a 
public  pilgrimage  of  thanksgiving  to  the  ‘  Chapel 
of  Redemption,’  a  short  distance  from  Cannes ;  and 
from  this  moment  he  never  again  relapsed  into  his 
former  irreligious  life,  often  suffering  in  preference 
great  inconvenience,  and  making  many  sacrifices  in 
order  to  be  able  to  assist  at  Holy  Mass  on  Sundays 
and  holidays.  And  he  always  attributed  his  return 
to  God  as  a  grace  from  St.  Joseph,  and  esteemed 
the  simple  little  picture  which  h's  wife  had  been  in¬ 
spired  to  shew  him,  more  than  asythinghe  possessed 
in  the  world.” 


102 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


4.  A  Lost  Son  Found  Again. 

Our  only  son,  at  eighteen  years  of  age,  failed  to 
pass  his  examinations.  In  consequence,  such  a 
deep  melancholy  and  depression  gained  possession 
of  him  that  he  persuaded  himself  that  his  failure 
must  have  been  owing  I  o  some  weakening  of  his 
mental  faculties,  and  that  he  should  never  be  able 
to  finish  his  studies.  He  wished  to  choose  another 
state  in  life.  We  believed  this  to  be  only  an  imagi¬ 
nation,  and  so  refused  our  consent. 

A  few  days  afterwards  he  secretly  left  us,  with¬ 
out  saying  one  word  of  what  he  intended  to  do. 
When  he  did  not  return  home  that  evening,  we  felt 
a  sad  presentiment  that  our  child  was  gone 
forever. 

The  police  were  at  once  acquainted  with  the  cir¬ 
cumstances  of  tie  case,  and  every  possible  means 
was  used  to  discover  the  fugitive,  but  in  vain.  No 
trace  of  the  lost  one  was  to  be  found.  His  unset¬ 
tled  state  of  mind  led  us  to  fear  that  he  might  have 
been  tempted  to  make  away  with  himself,  and  for 
ten  whole  months  w©  lived  in  indescribable  grief 
and  anguish. 

“  What  can  have  become  of  our  poor  boy  ?  ”  was 
the  question  his  mother  and  I  asked  ourselves  from 
morning  to  night. 

The  18th  of  May,  1881,  was  the  day  of  his  flight ; 
on  the  13th  of  March,  1882,  two  Little  Sisters  of 
the  Poor  cam©  to  our  house  to  solicit  alms.  Oa 
this  day  I  had  been  more  than  ever  depressed,  and 
I  felt  a  kind  of  yearning  for  the  sympathy  and  as¬ 
sistance  of  another,  so  I  co  fided  my  affliction  to 


ST.  JOSEPH'S  HELP. 


103 


these  good  Sisters,  entreating  the  help  of  their 
prayers. 

“  We  are  in  the  month  of  St.  Joseph,”  said  one 
of  them;  “if  you  would  address  yourself  to  him 
with  confidence  ha  would  certainly  aid  you.  Our 
community  shall  begin  a  novena  this  evening  ;  unite 
with  us,  and  I  am  sure  that  on  the  feast  of  St.  Jo 
seph  you  will  receive  news  of  your  son.” 

I  joined  in  this  devotion  with  more  earnestness 
than  I  had  ever  before  prayed,  though  I  did  not 
venture  to  consider  myself  worthy  of  so  prompt  an 
answer  to  my  prayer ;  yet  only  a  week  after  the 
visit  of  the  two  nuns  we  received  a  letter  from  this 
beloved  son  whom  we  were  beginning  to  mourn  as 
dead.  It  was  dated  from  England;  in  it  he  asked 
our  pardon  for  having  left  up,  and  begged  to  be 
allowed  to  return.  And  on  the  231  of  March  we 
had  the  happiness  of  once  more  embracing  him. 
His  letter  had  been  written  on  the  eve  of  the  Eea&t 
of  St.  Joseph. 

He  immediately  resumed  his  studies,  and  after  a 
time  successfully  passed  his  examination.  Still 
better,  never  again  has  he  caused  ua  the  least  anx¬ 
iety;  and,  we,  his  parents,  never  pass  a  day  with¬ 
out  thanking  St.  Joseph  and  recommending  to  him 
the  care  of  our  child. 


5.  St.  Joseph  Helps  in  Every  Distress. 

A  Benedictine  nun  writes  the  following  ; 

“St.  Joseph  is  always  kind,  always  merciful,  but 
sometimes  he  appears  to  be  even  lavish  and  prodi¬ 
gal  in  the  manner  of  bestowing  his  graces.  In 


104 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 

gratitude  to  this  great  patron  of  the  interior  life,  1 
must  relate  the  following  account : 

“  A  young  girl  belonging  to  a  good  and  highly- 
esteemed  family  had  received  a  careful  education, 
yet  did  not  seem  to  have  reaped  the  desired  fruits 
from  it,  for  as  she  grew  to  the  age  of  womanhood 
she  gave  proofs  of  great  levity  of  character,  and 
many  other  serious  defects. 

“The  mother,  who  loved  her  child  tenderly, 
grieved  exceedingly ;  and  in  her  perplexity  as  to 
the  wisest  course  to  be  pursued,  sought  the  advice 
of  one  of  her  relations,  a  pious  and  sensible  lady, 
who  recommended  her  to  place  her  daughter  under 
the  special  care  of  St.  Joseph,  ai  the  best  advocate 
in  all  matters  concerning  our  eternal  salvation. 
The  mother  followed  her  counsel,  but  it  need  hardly 
be  said  that  the  young  girl  herself  had  no  idea  of 
the  many  prayers  in  her  behalf  which  from  tha 
day  were  unceasingly  presented  before  the  throne 
of  God  by  the  pure  hands  of  His  earthly  Fostert 
Father  ;  yet  she  soon  felt  a  great  iaterior  change 
coming  over  her.  Her  thoughts  became  more  S3* 
rious;  she  began  to  be  tired  of  worldly  amuse¬ 
ments,  to  despise  vanity  in  her  dress,  and  the  frivo 
lous  conversation  which  had  hitherto  proved  so 
attractive  to  her  now  became  distasteful. 

“  Gradually,  but  very  gradually,  she  improved  in 
every  respect ;  virtue  now  delighted  her  as  much 
as  it  had  formerly  repelled  her,  she  followed  the 
better  inspirations  of  her  soul,  and  soon  her  happy 
mother  could  say :  ‘  I  do  not  know  how  it  is,  but 

my  child  is  so  wonderfully  changed.’  ” 

The  fidel  ty  to  these  fir  t  graces  was  a  Eure  m^ans 


6T.  Joseph’s  help. 


105 


of  procuring  others.  This  soul,  so  dear  to  St. 
Joseph,  was  enlightened  more  and  more,  until  it 
received  from  God  the  privilege  of  a  call  to  the  re¬ 
ligious  life. 

“This,  which  had  formerly  been  her  greatest 
antipathy,  became  her  only  desire.  Generously  de¬ 
spising  all  difficulties  and  treading  under  foot  all 
the  worldly  delights  to  which  she  had  once  devoted 
herself  she  entered  a  religious  community,  and  is 
to  this  day  an  example  of  every  virtue. 

“Thanks  to  St.  Joseph!  her  happiness  is  his 
woik.” 


6.  A  Good  Inspiration. 

“  A  short  time  ago,”  so  wrote  a  student  to  the 
Reverend  Father  Huguet,  “  I  was  on  the  eve  of  a 
most  important  examination  in  jurisprudence;  it 
was  a  Government  examination,  and  as  I  am  natu¬ 
rally  timid,  I  was  very  fearful  about  the  result,  not¬ 
withstanding  the  great  exertions  I  had  previously 
made. 

‘•Feeling  very  much  disquieted,  I  at  length  made 
a  resolution  to  recommend  myself  in  a  special  man¬ 
ner  to  St.  Joseph,  promising  him  to  snake  my  grati 
tude  public  if  he  granted  me  the  wished-for  success 

“  Reverend  Father,  the  result  exceeded  my  ex¬ 
pectations.  I  never  lost  my  presence  of  mind  at 
the  examination,  and  in  spite  of  the  questions  being 
often  puzzling  and  complex,  I  passed  through  all  in 
a  satisfactory  manner.  To  show  you  how  plainly 
this  proceeded  from  the  protection  of  St.  Joseph,  I 
will  relate  a  fact  to  you  which  I  am  ready,  if  neces¬ 
sary,  to  confirm  by  oath. 


106 


st.  Joseph's  help. 


“On  the  eve  of  the  examination  I  suddenly 
seemed  to  see  distinctly,  one  after  another,  all  the 
questions  that  would  be  proposed  to  me  the  next 
day.  I  said  without  hesitation  to  a  relation  who 
was  with  me  at  the  time.  4  To  morrow  I  shall  b9 
examined  on  such  and  such  subjects.’  Nevertheless, 
I  was  afraid  of  relyieg  too  much  on  a  presentimei  t 
of  this  nature,  knowing  that  young  people  a  elrtb  e 
to  illusions  on  such  occasions.  At  the  same  time, 
as  I  thought  St.  Joseph  might  possibly  have  a  hand 
in  the  matter,  I  resolved  not  to  let  it  pass  un¬ 
noticed. 

“The  important  day  arrived.  As  I  said  before,  I 
felt  no  fear,  and  was  able  to  answer  all  the  questions 
fluently.  Wonderful  to  relate,  these  questions  were 
exactly  the  same  as  those  which  had  come  into  my 
nrnd  so  distinctly  the  day  before.  By  this  I 
recognized  the  whole  extent  of  the  protection  of 
Sc.  Joseph.  In  communicating  thia  fact  to  you,  I 
fulfil  my  promise ;  and  if  others  in  my  situation 
should  experience  the  same  d  ffieulty  I  advise  them 
to  apply  to  St.  Joseph,  when  they  will  c  rteio'y 
obtain  a  happy  result.  B.  Balland,  1884  ” 

7-  The  Little  First  Ccmmunioant. 

A  parish  priest,  in  whose  district  infidelity  causes 
great  corruption,  relates  the  following  touching  c  x- 
perience : 

It  happened  last  year  when  the  children  of  the 
parish  were  in  retreat  preparatory  to  their  Fitst 
Communion.  They  were  peacefully  assembled  in 
the  church  around  the  pulpit,  like  young  lambs 
around  their  shepherd,  while  I,  as  their  pastor,  was 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


107 


administering  to  them  the  spiritual  food  of  the 
Word  of  God  in  anticipation  of  feeding  them  with 
the  Bread  of  Angels. 

The  little  assembly  was  listening  with  silent  at¬ 
tention,  when  suddenly  a  man  dressed  like  a 
workman  entered.  With  sparkling  eyes  and  an 
angry  countenance,  he  ran  first  to  the  right  side, 
then  to  the  left,  casting  searching  and  scrutinizing 
glances  everywhere. 

I  quietly  and  gently  asked  him  : 

“  What  do  you  want,  my  good  man  ?” 

With  a  rough  voice  he  answered : 

“  I  want  my  child.”  The  words  so  harshly  and 
loudly  uttered  evidently  caused  great  disturbance 
and  fear  among  my  little  flock.  Each  one  looked 
anxious  and  troubled. 

“Sir,”  continued  the  man,  “I  demand  my  child, 
atdatonce.  His  mother  is  a  Catholic,  but  I  am 
not,  and  my  son  shall  never  be  one  either.” 

“You  surprise  me,  my  friend,”  I  replied.  “We 
never  receive  a  child  to  instruction  for  its  Hirst 
Communion  if  its  Catholic  Baptism  is  not  most 
clearly  registered.  Was  not  your  son  baptized  in 
the  Catholic  Church  ?” 

“Yes.” 

“Were  his  godfather  and  his  godmother 
Catholics?” 

“  They  were.' 

“  Had  you  not  given  your  consent  !” 

“  At  that  time,  yes ;  I  was  present.” 

“  Well,  my  friend,  is  not  your  son  still  a  Catho 
lie  ?” 

“  Until  now,  I  acknowledge,  he  has  belonged  to 


108 


st.  Joseph's  help. 


the  religion  of  his  mother,  but  from  it's  moment 
he  must  belong  to  mine.”  With  these  words  he 
seized  the  boy,  whom  I  had  previously  brought  up 
to  him,  and  shaking  him  by  the  arm,  in  a  furious 
tone  exclaimed  :  “  G  >  aio9g  !  out  with  you  ;  from 
this  day  forward  you  will  have  to  deal  with  me !” 

The  poor  little  fellow  cast  on  me  an  imploring 
look,  and  with  tears  he  whispered  : 

“  O  please,  do  not  forsake  me !” 

I  then  tried  to  piece  myself  between  the  child 
and  the  enraged  father.  All  present  were  terrified, 
and  feared  that  I  might  become  a  victim  of  his 
violent  passion.  In  their  excitement  and  anguish 
many  sobbed  and  cried  aloud.  But  no  harm  hap¬ 
pened  to  me  ;  the  man  even  appeared  somewhat  to 
quiet  down 

Now  we  became  witnesses  of  a  most  touching  in 
cident.  The  dear  child  fell  down  on  his  kness,  em 
bracing  his  father’s  feet,  and  in  a  voice  broken  with 
emotion  and  tears  but  full  of  the  most  childlike 
tenderness,  he  said : 

“  Ob,  my  father!  X  will  always  be  obedient,  I  will 
leva  you  with  all  my  heart ;  but,  I  beseech  you,  al¬ 
low  me  to  remain  in  the  religion  of  my  mother !” 

His  words  became  choked  and  inaudible,  and  1 
feared  he  would  faint. 

It  was  a  heartrending  scene !  All  were  in  tears, 
the  other  children  wept  unrestrainedly.  Yet  the 
father’s  heart,  hardened  and  faithless,  was  insensi¬ 
ble  to  the  dictates  of  natural  affection. 

But  he  wss  sufficiently  subdued  to  agree  to  wait 
until  the  conclusion  of  the  instruction  and  devo¬ 
tions  before  forcing  the  child  to  go  along  with  him. 


6T.  Joseph’s  help. 


109 


After  the  sermon,  I  saw  the  boy  pale  and  trem¬ 
bling. 

“  You  are  afraid,  my  dear  child  ?”  I  said,  and  I 
took  his  hand. 

“  Oh,  certainly,”  he  answered  ;  “lam  afraid,  but 
moetly  for  my  mother.  She  will  surely  be  ill- 
treated  this  evening.” 

“  Go  quietly  with  him,”  I  said ;  “  be  very  good 
and  obedient,  and  trust  in  God.” 

He  went.  Not  without  painful  compassion  did  I 
see  him  walk  away  by  the  side  of  his  father  like  an 
innocent  lamb,  which  follows  where  it  is  led,  dumb 
and  without  resistance. 

When  he  was  gone,  wa  all  knelt  down  together, 
and  said  a  prayer  for  him,  hoping  much  in  favor  of 
this  matter,  which  had  so  direct  a  claim  on  the 
mercy  of  God. 

Yet  our  hope  seemed  to  be  in  vain. 

The  next  day  the  retreat  was  continued,  but  one 
place  remained  empty  ! — the  boy  did  not  come. 

What  happened  ?  An  eye- witness  afterwards  told 
us. 

When  the  father  and  son  returned  home,  the  man 
raised  his  arm  to  strike  his  wife,  but  the  child  left 
him  no  time ;  he  sprang  up,  c  aeped  his  arms  round 
his  father’s  neck,  embracing  him  with  all  the  power 
of  love  ;  and  with  many  tears  besought  h'm  in  the 
most  ardent  and  tender  manner  to  spare  his  mother, 
and  to  allow  him  to  make  his  first  Commuiion. 

The  arm  of  the  father  dropped  again  from  very 
shame  ;  yet  his  hatred  for  religion  remained  undi- 
minished.  The  next  day  he  took  the  boy  with  him 
to  work,  and  kept  a  watchful  eye  over  his  move- 


110 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


ments.  A  deep  sadness  now  seemed  to  settle  on 
the  poor  child  ;  he  wept  day  and  night,  and  could 
not  ©at.  He  heard  the  bell  daily  summoning 
his  more  fortunate  companions  to  their  religious  in¬ 
struction,  while  he  alone  was  debarred  from  shar¬ 
ing  their  joyful  preparation.  Each  stroke  of  the  bell 
increased  his  sadness ;  as  the  Psalmist  says :  “  His 
heart  and  flesh  were  pinirg  away  for  the  Altar  of 
Lis  God.” 

The  feast  of  St.  Joseph  was  the  day  chosen  for 
the  First  Communion. 

I  glanced  over  the  lines  of  children,  all  dear  to 
my  heart,  and  noticed  with  pain  the  absence  of  one 
little  figure,  even  more  loved  by  me  than  all  the 
rest,  because  he  was  so  sorely  tried.  His  place  was 
still  vacant. 

“Oh,  my  Jesus!”  I  sighed,  “Thou  surely  wilt  not 
let  this  chosen  lamb  of  Thy  flock  perish !” 

All  at  once  there  was  a  stir  among  tie  ranks — 
something  seemed  to  have  happened.  The  bright 
faces  of  the  expectant  children  grew  more  joyful 
still,  and  I  beard  whispers:  “There  he  i  !  th  re  he 
is!”  And,  oh!  thanks  to  God  a~d  St.  Joseph,  my 
eyes  rested  again  on  the  beloved  child,  whom  I  had 
been  so  deeply  mourning.  His  face  was  pale,  bsar- 
ing  traces  of  his  past  suff  ring,  but  his  countenance 
was  peaceful  and  serene,  and  as  he  approached  the 
Holy  Table  to  receive  his  Lord  he  looked  sweet  and 
pure  as  an  angel. 

How  had  it  happened? 

The  boy,  when  taken  away  by  his  father,  had, 
like  us,  had  recourse  to  St.  Joseph,  and  the  glorious 
Saint  had  taken  this  innocent  child's  heart  under 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


Ill 


the  protection  of  his  Lily  Sceptre.  He  had  hidden 
this  young  confeseor  under  the  folds  of  the  mantle 
with  which  he  had  encircled  Jesus  in  his  fl  ght  into 
Egypt. . 

The  irreligious  father  bad  been  overcome  by  the 
holy  Foster-Father  of  Jesus,  and  had  yielded  to 
his  son’s  desire ;  and  thus  we  bad  the  joy  of  seeing 
him  return  to  us  free  and  happy. 

8.  The  Story  of  a  Conversion. 

Listen  now,  how  a  young  spiritualist  has  been 
converted  by  means  of  a  medal  of  the  pure  Spouse 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary.  The  fact  was  com¬ 
municated  to  me  by  the  young  men  himself. 

Emmanuel  M - -  was  born  near  Cognac  (D  p. 

Cbarente),  and  had  the  misfortune  of  losing  his 
parents,  when  he  was  scarcely  twenty-one  years  of 
age. 

Finding  himself  the  possessor  of  a  considerable 
property,  he  set  no  bounds  to  his  luxury  and  ex¬ 
travagance.  In  Baden  alone  he  lost  in  a  short  time 
more  than  100  000  francs  at  the  gambling  tables. 
Also  being  a  fervent  apostle  of  spiritualism,  he  left 
no  means  untried  to  win  disciples.  I  had  often 
occasion  to  see  him,  and  tie  sight  of  this  poor 
youth  running  headlong  in  the  path  of  destruction 
moved  me  to  exceeding  pity  for  him. 

One  day  when  he  was  just  setting  off  on  a  jour¬ 
ney,  I  gave  him  a  medal  of  St.  Joseph,  saying  to 
him  at  the  same  time,  “  Take  great  care  of  this 
medal ;  it  will  entitle  you  to  the  protection  of 
which  you  stand  so  much  in  need.” 

S  x  weeks  later,  this  medal  was  destined  by  the 


112 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


mercy  cf  God  to  be  the  means  of  saving  this  erring 
soul  from  everlasting  death. 

At  Montelimar,  Emmanuel  was  attacked  by  a 
straige  and  severe  illness,  suffering  much  from  vio¬ 
lent  epasms  and  attacks  of  suffocation,  such  as  he 
had  never  esperienced  before.  While  he  was  lying 
one  r  ight  on  his  sick-bed,  cue  eyes  of  his  soul  were 
suddenly  enlightened ;  he  seemed  «o  see  the  abyss 
of  hell  open  before  him,  and  threatening  to  engulf 
him,  and  he  thought  he  heard  the  roaring  and 
scornful  laughter  of  the  devils. 

He  called  for  the  servant  who  was  sleeping  in 
the  ns  xt  room,  but  he  could  not  make  himself  heard. 
As  he  believed  that  his  last  hour  was  come,  he 
wished  to  bum  certain  private  letters,  and  with 
much  pain  and  difficulty  dragged  himself  across 
the  room  to  fetch  them  out  of  the  pocket  of  his 
cloak.  While  looking  for  them,  he  happened  to 
come  across  his  medal  of  St.  Joseph. 

It  was  a  sudden  inspiration  !  He  pressed  it  to 
his  heart  and  lips  ;  he  conjured  the  glorious  Patri¬ 
arch  to  ask  pardon  for  him  of  Almighty  God ;  he 
promised  to  convert  himself,  and  to  go  to  confes¬ 
sion  that  very  day,  if  the  life  which  he  had  so  mis¬ 
used  and  misspent  should  be  spared. 

Oh  miracle  of  Divine  mercy!  Oh  wonderful 
power  of  St.  Joseph !  how  prompt  you  are  in  com¬ 
ing  to  our  aid. 

Scarcely  had  this  unfortunate  man,  who  had  been 
struggling  for  six  hours  with  death,  called  upon  St. 
Joseph,  than  he  fell  into  a  gentle  and  refreshing 
sleep.  In  the  morning  when  he  awoke  he  found 
his  medal  still  pressed  to  his  heart.  As  he  had 


8T.  Joseph's  help. 


113 


promised,  lie  made  a  very  sincere  confession — the 
first  for  ten  years. 

Afterwards,  actuated  by  a  spirit  of  thanksgiving 
and  desire  of  doing  penance,  he  undertook  a  jour¬ 
ney  to  the  Holy  Land.  This  pious  pilgrimage  was 
followed  by  others  to  Loretto  and  to  La  Sainte 
Baume,  in  order  to  venerate  there  the  tomb  of  the 
model  and  patroness  of  penitents. 

Finally  this  converted  libertine  and  atheist  made 
his  home  near  Lyons,  where,  we  believe,  he  still 
lives,  leading  a  holy  and  exemplary  life,  beloved 
alike  by  God  and  man. 

9.  The  Successful  Examination. 

A  pious  lady  living  in  Paris,  filled  with  z°al  for 
the  honor  of  St.  Joseph,  and  having  had  personal 
experience  of  the  great  graces  bestowed  by  this 
Holy  Patriarch,  wrote  thus  to  Pere  Huguet : 

“  I  am  full  of  confidence  in  St.  Joseph,  and  have 
I  not  reason  to  be  so  ?  Are  we  not  daily  witnesses 
of  the  most  encouraging  and  wonderful  occur¬ 
rences  ? 

“  Some  days  ago  the  wife  of  an  officer  came  to 
me  to  complain  of  her  great  trials,  and,  indeed,  I 
have  often  bad  occasion  to  compassionate  her  on 
account  of  the  bad  treatment  which  she  receives 
from  her  worthless  husband. 

“  The  lady  herself  is  a  good  Catholic,  and  just 
now  the  point  of  dispute  was  regarding  their  son,  a 
youth  about  seventeen  years  of  age,  who,  in  conse¬ 
quence  of  a  chest  disease,  was  rather  behindhand 
in  his  studies.  The  father,  only  anxious  that  he 
should  pass  certain  examinations  for  which  he  did 


114 


St.  Joseph’s  help. 


not  as  yet  feel  ready,  tormented  the  boy  unceas¬ 
ingly,  without  any  regard  for  his  weak  health. 

“As  the  best  comfort  I  could  think  of,  I  gave  the 
lady  two  medals  of  St.  Joseph  to  sew  into  the 
clothes  of  her  husband  and  son,  and  began  a  novena 
in  union  with  several  other  persons,  the  last  day  of 
which  was  to  be  on  the  18th  of  September,  the  very 
day  of  the  so  much  dreaded  examination.  The  morn¬ 
ing  arrived  only  too  soon,  and  as  his  father  insisted  on 
his  at  least  making  the  attempt,  the  boy  appeared,  pale 
andtr  mbling,  among  the  ranks  of  the  other  competi¬ 
tors.  Naturally,  he  was  far  f  r om  being  equal  to  them, 
but  he  had  with  him  a  heavenly  protector,  whom  per¬ 
haps  none  of  the  rest  of  that  thoughtless,  eager  your  g 
crowd  had  thought  of  invoking  for  light  and  aid. 
His  mother,  when  she  bade  him  farewell,  consoled 
him  aid  encouraged  him,  saying  confidently:  “  Go, 
my  child,  in  obedience  to  your  father,  and  God  will 
bless  you !  You  will  pass  your  examination  well, 
as  many  devout  souls  are  praying  for  you  to  Mary 
and  Joseph.” 

The  mother’s  words  were  a  true  prophecy,  and 
in  the  evening  he  returned  home  happy  and  suc- 
eesssfu),  and  full  of  gratitude  as  well  as  astonish¬ 
ment  ;  for,  as  he  confessed,  he  could  not  possibly 
have  answered  questions  on  subjects  which  were 
almost  unknown  to  him  unless  he  had  a  very  special 
grace  and  a  sistance. 

10.  St.  Joseph  Saves  Two  Clerics  FBrM  the 

Oinscription. 

Two  young  clerics,  who  were  in  the  Ecclesiastical 
Seminary  at  Toscana,  became  liable  to  be  called 


e  t.  Joseph's  help. 


115 


upon  for  military  service.  Both  were  poor,  a  xd 
their  parents  were  unable  to  provide  the  sum  cf 
money  necessary  to  procure  substitutes  for  them. 
In  their  distress  they  felt  inspired  to  commit  the 
matter  to  the  care  of  St.  Joseph.  They  therefore 
united  in  prayer  with  a  cert  am  number  of  their 
friends,  and  made  a  vow,  the  conditions  of  which 
they  promised  to  carry  out  if  they  were  freed  from 
the  obligations  which  threatened  them.  Humanly 
speakicg,  there  was  not  the  very  least  hope  of  their 
escaping  the  conscription ;  on  the  contrary,  they 
had  every  reason  to  expect  to  have  shortly  to 
change  the  “ soutane”  for  a  soldier’s  uniform! 

Time  went  on,  the  dreaded  day  drew  nearer  and 
nearer,  and  Sh  Joseph  gave  no  sign  to  lead  them 
to  expect  deliverance.  But  he  was  only  withhold¬ 
ing  his  help,  to  test  and  to  strengthen  their  confi¬ 
dence-  For  so  it  was  that  it  happened  in  a  very 
remarkable  but  perfectly  regular  and  lawful  manner 
that  before  the  day  for  drawing  for  the  conscrip¬ 
tion  came  the  names  of  both  these  young  men  were 
struck  (if  the  lists. 

Upon  hearing  this  they  not  only  fulfilled  their 
vow  with  great  joy,  but  took  every  opportunity  of 
publishing  this  favor  of  St.  Joseph,  in  order  to  en¬ 
courage  others  to  place  confidence  in  the  inter¬ 
cession  of  this  great  Patriarch. 

11.  A  High  Number. 

“  On  the  21sfc  of  January,  1882,  the  conscription 
took  place  in  our  town,”  so  writes  a  schoolmistress, 
“  and  it  became  a  day  of  sorrow  for  many  a  mother’s 
heart. 


116 


st.  Joseph's  help. 


“At  the  commencement  of  school  that  morning 
a  little  girl  of  seven  years  of  age  threw  herself  into 
my  arms  bathed  in  tears. 

“‘Oh,  FiauleinF  she  cried,  ‘my  mother  is  weep¬ 
ing  so  much ;  she  fears  that  my  brother  will  be 
taken  for  a  soldier,  and  I  am  so  sorry.’ 

“I  share  in  thy  sorrow,  my  child,  but  we  must 
say  ‘  the  will  of  God  be  don©  ’  in  all  things. 

“  After  a  few  moments  of  silence,  the  child  sud¬ 
denly  lifted  up  her  little  head  j  a  smile  was  on  her 
lips,  a  ray  of  hope  shone  through  her  tears. 

“  ‘  Let  us  ask  St.  Joseph  to  take  care  that  my 
brother  should  draw  a  good  number.  Oh !  how  I 
will  love  St.  Joseph,  if  he  will  do  this,  and  how  I 
will  tell  everyone  about  his  kindness.’ 

“  She  spoke  so  fervently,  her  little  hands 
clasped  tight  together,  as  if  she  fully  expected 
to  get  all  she  desired  now  that  she  appealed  to 
St.  Joseph. 

“  When  the  usual  time  for  prayers  came,  1  told 
the  children  about  the  trouble  of  their  little  com¬ 
panion.  Never  was  prayer  made  more  fervently. 
Just  as  we  were  concluding,  the  great  clock  of  the 
clurch  tower  struck  ten. 

“  ‘  That  is  the  hour,  Fraulein,’  exclaimed  all  the 
children  in  a  breath.  But  looks  and  hearts  of  all 
turned  towards  the  statue  of  our  good  Father. 
‘  St.  Joseph,  thou  friend  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  pray 
for  us.’  So  prayed  the  little  ones.  And  at  that 
very  time  the  brother  of  the  little  girl  drew  or  e  of 
the  very  highest  numbers,  and  so  escaped  military 
service. 

“  Who  would  not  recognise  in  this  more  than  a 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


117 


mare  accident?  Who  will  not  acknowledge  in  it 
the  powerful  influence  of  St.  Joseph?” 

12.  The  Last  Days  of  One  Condemned  to  Death. 

At  the  Assizes  in  A - in  the  year  185 — ,  a 

man  guilty  of  highway  robbery  and  murder  was 
condemned  to  death. 

The  circumstances  of  his  crime  were  of 
such  a  frightful  nature  that  the  jury  could 
find  no  reason  to  moderate  the  sentence,  nor  to 
recommend  him  to  mercy.  At  first  the  prisoner 
had  obstinately  denied  his  guilt,  but  as  proof  after 
proof  was  brought  forward,  he  became  silent. 

He  heard  his  sentence  with  a  stolid,  hard  in¬ 
difference.  When  the  judge  exhorted  him  in 
moving  terms  to  try  and  prepare  while  he  had  time 
for  his  judgment  at  a  higher  tribunal,  it  seemed  to 
make  no  impression  at  all  upon  the  unfortunate 
man.  Silently,  and  with  an  expression  of  obstinate 
stubbornness,  he  suffered  himself  to  be  led  out  of 
the  ball  of  justice  to  the  cell  of  the  condemned 
criminals,  into  which  he  was  locked. 

The  crime  the  unhappy  man  had  committed 
seemed  to  have  the  effect  of  brutalizirg  him  com¬ 
pletely.  No  persuasion  of  the  priest,  who  was 
chaplain  of  the  prison,  could  induca  him  to  speak; 
every  effort  to  soften  him  seemed  as  ineffectual  as 
if  he  had  been  made  of  stone. 

Some  pious  nuns,  who,  to  the  great  satisfaction 
of  the  Government,  took  care  of  the  criminals,  did 
all  in  their  power  to  break  through  his  obduracy, 
but  all  was  in  vain.  Dumb,  morose  and  sullen, 
the  poor  wretch  sat  in  one  corner  of  his  cell,  an d 


118 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


could  be  induced  to  pay  no  attention  whatever  to 
anything. 

“Prayer  is  our  only  resource,”  said  Sister 
Veronica  to  the  other  nuns ;  “in  this  case  no  human 
power  can  avail.  It  is  terrible !” 

And  the  good  Sisters  did  pray  more  for  this  poor 
man  even  than  for  any  of  the  other  criminals,  his 
case  seemed  so  desperate. 

One  morning  Sister  Veronica,  when  she  came  to 
the  cell,  set  down  the  water  bottle  which  she  had 
brought,  took  a  small  hammer  from  out  of  her 
girdle  and  a  nail  from  her  pocket,  and  proceeded, 
without  saying  a  word,  to  fasten  a  little  picture  of 
St.  Joseph  to  the  wall.  She  noticed  that  the 
prisoner  was  for  the  first  time  watching  what  she 
did  attentively,  so,  as  she  turned  to  go  away,  she 
said  : 

“That  is  a  picture  of  St.  Joseph,  the  patron 
saint  of  the  dying.” 

Whatever  hopes  the  transient  arousing  of  his  at¬ 
tention  may  have  awakened,  seemed  doomed  to 
disappointment.  The  prisoner  relapsed  again  into 
his  dogged  indifference-nothing  roused,  nothing 
touched  him.  When  the  Sister  brought 
him  his  dinner  the  picture  hung  on 
the  wall  untouched,  and  the  prisoner  sat 
crouching  in  his  C3ruer.  The  kindly  words 
the  Sister  spoke  were  unnoticed,  excepting  that 
once  she  heard  him  give  a  deep  sigh,  as  with  his 
head  resting  on  both  hands  he  sat  staring  at  the 
ground.  This  went  on  for  many  weeks,  for  it 
happened  that  the  ratification  of  the  sentence  of 
death  was  unusually  long  in  coming.  The  chaplain 


£  T.  JOSEPHS  HELP. 


119 


often  came  and  corjured  the  unhappy  man  to  £eek 
reconciliation  with  God,  but  he  could  not  get  one 
word  in  answer  to  all  his  exhortations. 

The  Sisters  prayed  more  and  more  fervently,  but 
apparently  without  success. 

At  last  the  corfirma  ory  judgment  arrived,  and 
the  second  day  after  its  rcceptiou  was  that  fixed 
upon  for  the  execution  of  the  criminal.  AU  the 
particulars  were  arranged ;  the  officer  in  charge 
proceeded  to  the  ctll  of  the  condemned  man  to  in¬ 
form  him  that  the  ratification  of  the  sentence  had 
come,  and  to  try  and  awaken  him  to  the  fact  of  the 
terrible  earnestness  cf  the  hour  so  fast  approach¬ 
ing  for  him.  Bister  Veronica  told  the  officer  be¬ 
fore  he  entered  the  cell  that  he  would  find  a  great 
charge  in  the  prisoner — that  for  the  last  few  days 
he  had  seemed  quite  another  man,  although  he  had 
not  yet  broken  the  silence  he  had  preserved  ever 
since  bis  condemnation.  When  the  official  and  his 
attendants  entered  the  cell  they  found  the  un¬ 
fortunate  man  sitting  in  his  usual  attitude,  but  the 
du  1,  obdurate  expession  on  his  face  had  given 
place  to  a  look  of  quiet  mildness.  He  appeared  to 
take  no  notice  whatever  of  those  who  came  in,  nor 
gave  the  s  ighest  sign  that  he  even  understood 
what  was  going  on. 

Not  even  an  eyelash  moved  when  the  officer  read 
ont  the  day  and  the  hour  fixed  for  his  execution. 
At  length  looking  up,  he  sa  d : 

“  I  krew  that  it  would  be  one  day  this  week,  and 
I  thought  it  would  be  Friday.” 

The  official  then  began  to  persuade  him  to  pre¬ 
pare  himself  to  die  as  a  Christian. 


120 


st.  Joseph's  help. 


“  Have  I  not  already  told  you  that  I  knew  that  I 
must  die  this  week ;  since  I  have  known  that,  you 
may  be  sure  I  have  been  preparing  myself.  I  need 
no  exhortation  from  you,  Herr  Procurator.  You 
have  done  your  duty,  that  is  sufficient.” 

The  officer  was  startled. 

“What  do  you  say,  you  knew?”  he  asked  with 
surprise. 

“That  I  had  to  die  this  week,”  was  the  an¬ 
swer. 

“Since when  have  you  known  this?”  he  ques¬ 
tioned  further. 

“  Since  Monday  I  have  known  it,”  replied  the 
criminal. 

The  officer  put  his  hand  to  his  head  in  perplexity. 
He  bad  the  document  containing  the  royal  confir¬ 
mation  of  the  sentence  in  his  hand;  it  had  only 
arrived  late  the  previous  evening.  He  had  not  said 
a  single  word  to  any  one  about  it  till  that  morning. 
How  could  the  criminal  in  his  solitary  cell  have  had 
certain  information  concerning  his  execution  since 
Moo  day?  Casually  he  glanced  down  the  parch 
ment ;  it  was  certainly  strange  and  very  remarkable. 
The  royal  signature  was  dated  last  Monday! 
How  could  the  prisoner  have  received  an  intimation 
of  his  fate? 

“  It  is  not  possible  that  you  can  have  known  this 
since  Monday*”  exclaimed  the  officer,  excitedly; 
“  his  Majesty  only  signed  the  warrant  on  Monday. 
How,  then,  could  it  possibly  have  been  known  to 
you  ?  ” 

“I  have  known  it,”  replied  the  prisoner,  quietly; 
“how  is  another  matter,”  and  here,  for  the  first 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


121 


time,  he  changed  color,  his  eyes  moistened  and 
sought  the  ground. 

He  had  risen,  and  had  been  standing  while  he 
spoke  ;  now  he  fixed  his  eyes  upon  the  little  picture 
of  St  Joseph,  and  seemed  to  go  through  some 
sharp  conflict  within  himself.  After  some  moments, 
turning  to  th8  officer,  he  said  : 

“  Yes,  I  will  tell  you  how  I  come  to  know.  It  is 
wjnderful  enough  for  a  man  like  me,  you  will  say, 
but  still  it  happened.  And  I  thank  God  it  did.” 
He  sat  down  again  then,  as  if  he  could  thus  relate 
better  what  he  had  to  tell.  “  I  have  deserved  death 
— the  sentence  pronounced  upon  me  is  just.  But 
to  know  that  I  had  to  die  soon  whi'stin  full  health, 
and  not  to  know  when,  that  was  what  I  could  not 
bear.  That  it  might  be  to-morrow,  or  might  not  be 
for  weeks ;  that  any  day  it  might  be  announced  to 
me  that  I  must  die  to-morrow — but  not  to  know 
for  certain.  This  uncertainty  was  what  was  so  t  r- 
rible  to  me.  All  that  the  priest  said  to  me  from 
the  beginning  was  true,  but  it  only  tormented  me, 
because  of  the  agony  of  the  uncertainty.  I  did  not 
know  when,  but  only  that  I  had  to  die — it  was  this 
that  made  it  so  bitterly  hard.  Then  one  day  the 
Sister  fastened  that  picture  to  the  wall.  St.  Jo¬ 
seph,  the  Sister  told  me,  was  the  patron  of  the 
dying,  but  she  did  not  know  that  he  was  abo 
my  patron  saint.  Ah !  I  have  thought  a  great  deal 
since  I  have  been  in  here — a  great  deal  of  bo  b 
good  and  bad.  But  up  till  that  day  it  had  been 
chiefly  bad.  But  then  came  remembrances  of  how, 
when  I  was  a  child,  I  had  been  taught  to  reverence 
my  patron  saint !  Ah,  if  I  had  only  done  it,  I 


122 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


•> 

should  not  be  here  now  !  When  the  Sister  left  me 
I  went  up  to  the  picture,  stood  before  it,  and 
looked  at  it  as  something  that  in  my  childhood  had 
been  dear  and  holy  to  me.  After  a  time  I  gathered 
confidence  and  began  to  pray  very  quietly.  But 
the  terror  that  was  upon  me,  of  the  uncertainty  of 
the  time  that  the  death  that  was  so  certain  would 
come  upon  me,  was  more  than  I  could  bear.  Sud¬ 
denly  !  That  it  should  come  quite  suddenly  was 
my  fear.  If  I  only  cjuld  know  when  it  would  ba — 
if  only  I  might  know  for  certain  just  a  few  days 
before-then  I  thought  I  would  try  to  prepare  in 
earnest.  But  I  did  not  know  when  it  would  be, 
and  when  I  did  know  I  should  not  have  time  to 
prepara.  So  it  came  into  my  mind  to  ask  Almighty 
God  a  special  grace  through  the  intercession  of  St. 
Joseph.  The  priest  had  said  that  the  mercy  of 
God  was  beyond  measura  infinite,  and  that  if  the 
sinner  oniy  approached  Him  in  the  way  Ha  had  ap¬ 
pointed,  nothing  could  limit  His  mercy.  So  I 
asked  St.  Joseph  to  obtain  for  me  a  sign  when  I 
was  to  die  within  a  week.” 

“And  what  was  the  sign?”  here  broke  in  the 
officer. 

“Oh,  it  was  a  very  simple  sign,”  continued  the 
prisoner.  “  Up  to  that  day  the  same  Sister  who 
had  fastened  the  picture  to  the  wall  had  always 
brought  me  my  dinner;  if  one  day  another  came  in 
her  place,  then,  so  I  thought,  I  should  consider  it 
a  sign  from  St.  Joseph  that  in  that  week  the  af¬ 
firmation  of  my  sentence  would  arrive.  And  so  it 
happened.  Last  Monday  a  strange  Sister  brought 
me  my  dinner.  By  that  I  knew  how  it  stood  with 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


123 


me,  and  at  once  began  to  prepare  myself  for  death. 
So  you  see  that  God  deigns  to  hear  even  the  great¬ 
est  sinners  if  they  turn  to  Him  humbly  and  wish 
contrition,  especially  if  they  have  th©  help  of  so 
powerful  an  intercessor  as  I  had,”  and  he  pointed 
gratefully  to  the  picture  of  bis  patron  saint, 
“  whose  aid  I  certainly  have  not  invoked  in  vain !” 

All  this  was  uttered  by  the  criminal  with  such  a 
calm  assurance,  such  a  perfect  resignation,  that  it 
seemed  as  if  he  took  it  all  as  a  matter  of  course. 
He  now  begged  that  the  priest  might  be  sent  for, 
and  that  ho  might  be  left  alone  with  him,  “  to  close 
his  heavy  account  definitely,”  as  he  expressed  it. 

The  officials  thereupon  departed,  not  a  little  as¬ 
tonished  and  touched  at  the  change  that  had  taken 
place  in  lha  once  so  hardened  criminal.  Before 
they  left  the  house,  Sister  Veronica  was,  however, 
sent  for,  to  be  questioned  as  to  whether  the  change 
of  Sisters,  so  significant  to  the  prisoner,  had  rea  ly 
occurred  or  net.  The  good  Sister  was  no  less  sur¬ 
prised,  when  the  officer  repeated  the  story  related 
to  him  by  the  prisoner,  than  he  himself  had  been 
upon  first  hearing  it. 

“  Last  Monday  !”  and  Sister  Veronica  thought 
over  it  for  a  moment — “Last  Monday ;  oh,  yes  !  he 
is  right,  I  remember  it  all  now ;  it  was  last  Mon¬ 
day  thst  just  as  I  had  reached  the  dcor  of  his  cel 
with  his  dinner,  and  was  only  waiting  for  the  jailer 
to  open  the  doir,  Sister  Clare  came  running  to 
fetch  me,  saying  that  the  Superior  wanted  me  di¬ 
rectly.  So  I  put  the  dish  of  food  into  her  hands 
to  take  in  to  him  whilst  I  went  off  to  the  Keverend 
Mother.  Thus  it  happened  that  for  that  once  I 


124 


bt.  Joseph’s  help. 


d  d  not  serve  Ih©  piisoner  myself.  There  was  no 
other  reason.  And  so  after  all  it  was  SI.  Joseph !” 
Bhe  exel&  med.  “It  was  like  an  inspiration,  my 
thinking  of  putting  up  that  picture  on  the  wall,  and 
now  I  can  understand  the  alteration  in  his  manner 
since  Monday.  May  God  be  forever  blessed.” 

She  then  fetched  the  Keverend  Mother  that  she 
might  hear  these  particulars  from  the  officer.  The 
chaplain  was  called  for  at  once,  ar  d  he  was  told 
how  it  was  with  the  piisoner,  and  what  had  hap¬ 
pened.  He  listened  with  great  surprise,  but  shook 
his  head,  as  if  he  could  not  credit  so  great  a  change 
in  one  who  had  for  so  long  remained  obdurate. 
But  nevertheless  he  hastened  to  the  cell  of  the 
condemned,  and  found  him  on  his  knees  before  the 
picture  of  St.  Joseph.  He  then  related  again  in 
short  to  the  priest  what  had  happened,  and  main¬ 
tained  a  fi  m  conviction  that  he  might  indeed  hope 
for  grace  since  God  had  so  graciously  deigned  to 
give  him  the  sign  he  had  asked  for. 

Then  it  also  came  cut  that  the  poor  man  had 
been  far  from  unmindful  of  his  soul  from 
the  first  moment  of  his  condemnation,  and  that 
not  one  word  the  priest  had  said  during 
his  repeated  exhortations  had  been  lost,  but 
treasured  up  and  laid  to  heart.  But  nothing  until 
the  granting  him  that  sign,  as  he  called  it,  had  un¬ 
locked  his  heart. 

And  now,  already  prepared,  he  made  at  once  a 
general  and  contrite  confession.  During  the  rest 
of  that  day  he  hardiy  let  the  priest  out  of  sight  for 
a  moment.  Early  the  next  morning  he  assisted  at 
the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  in  a  most  edifying 


6T.  Joseph's  help. 


125 


manner,  and  with  ai  abundarca  of  tears  received 
Holy  Communion.  He  then  prayed  with  the  priest 
and  all  present,  that  he  might  have  courage  ar  d 
strength  to  go  through  the  last  painful  journey  he 
wa3  soon  to  take. 

He  was  then  led  into  the  court  of  the  prison, 
where  the  guillotine  awaited  him.  His  step  was 
firm  and  his  look  tranquil ;  and  he  expressed  such 
deep  contrition,  and  resignation  that  all  present 
were  more  edified  by  the  Christian  fortitude  he 
evinced  than  terrified  by  the  awfulness  of  the 
spectacle. 


13.  A  Miraculous  Oil  Lamp  of  St.  Joseph. 

We  have  received  the  following  account  from 
Riemange,  near  Trieste : 

“  A  church  here,  which  is  attached  to  the  parish 
of  Dolina,  was  originally  dedicated  to  S\  George, 
but  in  it  was  an  altar  dedicated  to  St  Joseph.  In 
earlier  times  there  existed  also  a  large  confraternity 
in  honor  of  the  glorious  Foster  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  This  had  been  established  and  con¬ 
firmed  by  Pope  Innocent  XII.,  in  1693. 

“That  this  confraternity  was  very  large  and 
devout,  is  proved  by  the  numerous  answers  to 
prayer,  attested  by  ex  votos  which  s’.ill  remain.  As 
also  the  existence  of  a  miraculous  oil  lamp  which 
used  to  burn  before  the  altar  of  St.  Joseph,  and  is 
still  at  the  present  day  fo  be  s  en  hanging  before 
the  high  altar  of  the  church,  which  hag  been  newly- 
erected  in  honor  of  St.  Joseph. 

‘‘Concerning  this  miraculous  lamp  there  exists 


126 


ST.  JOSEPHS  HELP. 


an  old  document,  written  by  the  parish  priest  of 
the  time,  which  relates  the  following  occurrence : 

“ 4 For  soma  time,”  so  ifc runs,  4‘  a  rumor  had  been 
prevalent  among  the  people  that  the  lamp  hanging 
before  St.  Joseph's  a  tar  was  always  found  to  be 
al-ghfc  aid  burning  brightly,  in  spite  of  its  having 
been  again  and  again  extinguished.  The  parish 
priest  appeared  to  taka  no  heed  of  the  report  at 
first,  but,  nevertheless,  he  thought  much  over  this 
strange  occurrence  and  determined  to  have  the 
matter  thoroughly  investigated  and  proved.  He 
therefore  sent  for  the  parish  priest  of  Dolica,  and 
called  the  church-wardens  and  some  others  to¬ 
gether.  They  all  went  to  iha  church,  the  sacristan 
put  out  the  lamp  carefully,  ©very  approach  to  it 
was  securely  shut  and  fastened  up,  the  church  doors 
were  locked  and  sealed,  and  all  was  carefully  ex¬ 
amined,  In  order  to  secure  that  no  entrance  to  the 
church  was  possible.  The  parish  priest  of  Dolma 
took  charge  of  the  keys,  and  gave  orders  to  the 
church- wardens  to  watch  the  church  with  all  possi¬ 
ble  care,  and  if  through  the  grated  and  barr  d 
windows  they  should  perceive  a  light  in  the  church, 
immediately  to  inform  him.  After  some  time  of 
careful  watching  the  lamp  was  observed  to  be 
burning;  this  was  on  the  27  h  of  March,  1749. 
At  once  the  parish  priest  was  sent  for,  the  doors, 
seals  aid  barricades  were  all  examined  and  found 
untouched.  The  bishop  was  informed  of  the  fac 
and  before  him  the  witnesses  deposed  on  oath  to 
the  truth  of  these  statements.’ 

44 In  consequence  of  this  miraculous  event,  the 
church  was  rebuilt  and  dedicated  to  St.  Joseph, 


ST.  JOSEPH  S  HELP. 


127 


and  the  confraternity  then  took  a greaiei*  extension 
as  may  be  seen  from  the  register  of  names  of  mem¬ 
bers.  The  last  name  registered  was  in  1828,  tinee 
then  the  confraternity  seems  to  have  d’ed  c  u'  5  but 
devotion  to  St.  Joseph  still  exists  among  the  peo¬ 
ple,  and  especially  on  the  eve  and  day  of  his  feast, 
when  the  church  is  crowded  with  devout  worship¬ 
pers  and  pilgrims. 

“  It  is  much  to  be  desired  that  this  confraternity 
should  again  revive,  and  that  devotion  to  our  dear 
saint,  the  star  of  the  nineteenth  century,  should 
spread  and  take  deep  root  in  the  hearts  of  the 
people.”  _ 

The  Feast  or  St.  Joseph — 19th  op  March. 

As  each  year  comes  round,  St.  Joseph  grants  us 
fresh  graces  on  Lis  feast.  We  could  wish  that  our 
little  work  could  this  year  carry  our  thanksgiving 
abroad  throughout  all  lands,  for  his  favors  have 
been  greater  and  more  numerous  than  ever. 

Sv.  Teresa,  the  saintly  foundress  of  so  many 
convents  of  Carmelites,  has  m  her  writings  borne 
the  followirg  testimony  to  the  efficacy  of  the  inter¬ 
cession  of  St.  Joseph,  and  her  testimony  is  indis- 
pu  able.  She  writes  thus  in  her  life : 

“For  the  celebration  of  the  Feast  of  St.  Joseph 
I  exerted  myself  with  the  utmost  fervor.  My 
greatest  desire  was  that  it  should  be  kept  with  all 
possible  grandeur  acd  solemnity.  For  by  this  time 
I  knew  something  by  long  experience  of  the  great¬ 
ness  of  the  honor  in  which  he  is  held  by  G;d 
Wouldtta  i  I  cou'd  persuade  the  whole  world  to 
honor  him  by  an  especial  cui  us!  I  have  always 


128 


st.  Joseph's  help. 


observed  that  people  who  lave  a  true  and  practical 
devotion  to  St.  Joseph  succeed  in  the  acquisition  of 
virtues  much  more  rapidly  than  others,  for  this 
heavenly  protector  takes  a  very  great  interest  in 
the  advancement  of  those  souls  who  recommend 
themselves  to  him.  I  have  myself,  for  many  years 
past,  always  asked  him  for  some  particular  grace 
on  his  feast- daj,  and  I  have  never  asked  in  vain.” 

One  of  the  most  pious  of  the  daughters  of  S'. 
Teresa,  who  tried  os  closely  as  she  could  to  folk  w 
in  the  footsteps  of  her  beloved  Mother,  was  the 
Venerable  Mother  Anne  of  Jesus,  who,  when  sent 
to  France,  burned  with  a  like  desire  to  glorify  St 
Joseph.  After  the  opening  of  the  church  of  their 
monastery  at  D  jon,  in  the  year  1637,  upon  the 
first  occurrence  of  hia  feast  she  determined  to  keep 
it  with  all  the  splendor  possible. 

The  Blessed  Sacrament  was  esposed  for  the  day, 
they  bad  beautiful  music,  a  celebrated  preacher  was 
invited,  an  immense  congregation  assembled ;  in 
fact,  she  did  everything  she  could  think  of  to  make 
the  saint’s  festival  glorious. 

After  the  solemnity  was  over  our  Lord  let  His 
Spouse  know  how  p  easing  this  feast  had  been  to 
Him,  and  that  Ho  wisi:  ed  that  it  should  be  celebrated 
<  ach  year  with  equal  pomp,  and  also  [that  her 
action  had  obtained  many  graces  for  the  house, 
both  special  and  general.  Her  Divine  Master  like¬ 
wise  assured  her  that  souls  of  extraordinary  sanc¬ 
tity,  and  possessed  of  great  spiritual  gifts,  shou’d 
he  called  to  that  house;  and  the  after-history  of  the 
convent  bore  ample  testimony  to  the  fact  that  the 
prediction  was  filfilled. 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


129 


Thus  Mother  Anne  of  Jesus  inspired  all 
with  great  devotion  to  tbeir  glorious  pro¬ 
tector.  Every  day  he  was  invoked  by  the  commu¬ 
nity  for  special  graces.  Oae  g  ace  in  particular 
they  always  asked  for,  namely,  that  no  postulant 
might  be  received  into  the  community  who  wordd 
prove  afterwards  unfaithful  to  her  vocation,  and 
this  favor  has  always  been  accorded  to  them  in  a 
very  marked  and  astonishing  manner.  For  Divine 
Providence  has  so  ordered  that  several  times,  can¬ 
didates  who  at  first  were  considered  most  eligible, 
and  would  have  been  regarded  as  decided  acquisi¬ 
tions  ;  either  on  account  of  their  connection,  or 
spiritual  gifts,  or  great  fortunes,  have  either  been 
unexpectedly  refused,  or  else  have  themselves 
changed  their  minds  at  the  last  moment.  And 
each  one  of  these  c*ses  proved  subsequently  that 
S’.  Joseph  had  been  active  in  his  protection  of  the 
monssery. 

The  19th  of  March  brings  to  us  also  the  remem¬ 
brance  of  the  death  of  Su.  Joseph;  at  least  it  does 
so  if  we  allow  ourselves  to  be  influenced  by  the 
very  old  and  pious  tradition  which  ascribes  the 
event  to  this  day. 

Let  us,  therefore,  go  back  in  spirit  to  that  long 
past  time,  and  let  us  silently  enter  the  little  house 
of  Nazareth,  at  the  very  moment  whan  the  soul  of 
St.  Joseph  took  its  departure  from  this  world. 

Our  Divine  Redeemer  Himself  closed  the  eyes  of 
this  “Just  one,”  and  after  havitg  eccomp  ished 
this  du;y  of  l:v®,  He  wept  sweet  tears  of  fender- 
ress  and  affection  over  His  Faster-Father.  T^e 
Immaculate  Virgin  mingled  her  tears  with  those  of 


130 


bt.  Joseph’s  help. 


her  Divine  Son.  Oh!  what  a  favored  death- bed  ; 
watered  with  the  tears  of  a  God-Man,  and  with 
those  of  the  Mother  of  God  ! 

The  venerable  body  of  the  deceased  lies  there, 
as  if  already  in  part  glorified.  Surely  never  before 
had  such  a  look  of  sublime  repose  rested  upon  any 
countenance.  His  limbs  were  still  as  flexible  as 
in  life,  and  an  odor  sweeter  than  that  which  has 
ever  since  been  diffused  from  the  bodies  of  any  of 
the  saints,  perfumes  the  air.  For  never  was  sanc¬ 
tity  comparable  to  the  sanctity  of  St  J  oseph. 

Whilst  silence  and  devotion  reign  beside  this  holy 
corpse  j  whilst  angels  bend  to  look  upon  it  with  rapt 
admiration;  whilst  Jesus  and  Mary  g've  expres¬ 
sion  to  their  gentle  grief,  let  us  draw  nearer  to  the 
mortal  remains  of  the  holy  Patriarch.  And  first  let 
us  with  reverence  venerate  this  noble  head  which 
was  found  worthy  to  be  initiated  into  the  secrets 
of  God,  and  to  which  the  confidences  of  the 
Omnipotent  were  imparted  ;  this  head,  which  had 
to  endure  such  anxious  thoughts,  such  harassing 
cares,  anxieties  and  afflictions  in  connection  with  the 
secret  Incarnation  of  the  Word  of  God ;  this  head 
in  which  the  thought  of  God,  and  of  His  glory,  ever 
reigned  pre-eminent,  and  into  which  no  shadow  of 
a  thought  contrary  to  the  law  of  God  ever  gained 
admittance  ;  this  head,  which  during  the  Sacred  In¬ 
fancy  so  often  supported  that  of  the  Incarnate 
Word,  which  thus  resting  upon  it,  cast  as  it  were 
some  of  its  own  glory  over  it,  crowning  it  in  some 
sort  with  a  diadem  from  His  Divinity ;  this  head 
which,  as  the  last  sigh  escaped  his  lips,  was  blessed 
and  honored  by  the  kiss  of  the  Son  of  God ! 


ST.  JOSEPHS  HELP. 


131 


We  salute  thee!  Oh!  blessed  head  which  ia 
Heaven  is  now  crowned  with  so  glorious  a  crown  ! 

Let  us  now  approach  the  feet  of  the  Holy  Pa¬ 
triarch.  Let  us  kneel  and  reverently  kisa  those  holy 
feet;  every  step  they  took  was  either  for  the 
ove  of  God,  for  Jesus,  for  the  ever  Blessed  Virgin, 
or  for  us. 

And  lastly,  l6t  us  venerate  those  glorious  hands 
which  lie  folded  so  meekly  upon  his  breast.  Their 
day’s  work  is  done  ;  never  will  they  have  to  labor 
more  except  it  be  in  distributing  those  favors  and 
graces  which  Jesus  and  Mary,  through  them,  be¬ 
stow  on  us  from  Heaven. 

With  faifh  and  love  let  us  press  our  lips  upon 
those  holy  hands,  and  oh  !  let  us,  in  anticipation  of 
that  last  hour  so  soon  approaching  for  each  of  us, 
entreat  the  protection  of  those  strong  arms  of  Sf. 
Joseph.  Nay,  let  us  do  more  ;  let  us  fly  for  refuge 
to  his  heart ;  let  us  hide  ourselves  with'n  its  inmost 
recesses,  and  beg  him  to  protect  us,  both  during 
life  and  in  the  hour  of  our  death. 

Let  us  say  to  him  as  Jac  b  said  to  the  angel  of 
old :  “  Non  dimittam  donee  benediceris  mihi .”  “  I 
will  not  let  thee  go  until  thou  bless  me.” 

And  as  this  grace  of  a  good  death  and  entrance 
into  Heaven  is  one  of  such  vital  importance  to  us, 
)et  us  after  we  have  fervently  besought  St. 
Joseph’s  protection,  turn  also  to  Jesus  and 
Mary.  Let  us  not  lose  this  moment,  we  ©re 
sure  to  gain  a  hearing  now,  see,  while 
they  still  weep  over  him,  whose  eyes  they  have 
just  closed.  Let  us  plead  with  them.  “  For  the 
sake  of  him  yr,u  mourn,  for  the  sake  of  St.  Joseph, 


132 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


for  the  sake  of  his  sweet  death,  for  the  sake  of  the 
tears  you  have  mutually  shed,  we  beseech  and  im 
plore  you,  O  Jesus  and  Mary !  in  union  with  St. 
Joseph,  bestow  upon  us  your  blessirg  for  our  last 
hour.  O  Divine  Redeemer,  O  merciful  Virgin 
Mother!  keep  for  us,  we  entreat  you,  one  such 
glance  of  pity  and  loving  compassion,  as  you  have 
just  bestowed  upon  the  dying  Joseph,  with  which 
to  bless  us  in  our  last  agony.” 


rv—  ST.  JOSEPH  OUR  HELPER  IN  THE 
HOUR  OF  DEATH. 


1.  St.  Joseph  the  Patron  of  a  Happy  Death. 

Our  readers,  doubtless  in  lading  before  St. 
Joseph  their  various  necessities  have  pleaded  often 
for  that,  the  most  important  of  a1),  the  grace  of  a 
happy  death.  Indeed  as  St.  Joseph  died  in  the 
arms  of  Jesus  and  Mary,  he  is  very  naturally  hon¬ 
ored  and  invoked  es  the  special  patron  of  thf  hour 
of  death.  Innumerable  histories  aid  in  confirm¬ 
ing  our  confidence  in  the  intercession  of  this  glori 
ous  saint  as  the  patron  of  a  holy  death.  We  will 
here  first  relate  a  beautiful  instance  which  was  told 
to  us  as  a  fact  by  a  friend,  in  the  year  1879. 

“Joseph  Carvrlho,  a  Brazilian,  was  my  fel¬ 
low-student  at  the  Jesuit  College  at  Field- 
kirch ;  he  was  descended  from  the  family  of 
that  Marquis  of  Pombal  who  acqu  red  such  a 
sad  celebrity  by  the  unjust  persecution  of  the 
Portuguese  Jesuits.  This  youth  having  returned  to 
his  country,  fell  into  a  consumption,  and  after  having 
been  for  some  time  confined  to  bis  bed  in  the  house 


ST.  JOSEPH  S  HELP. 


133 


of  his  guardian,  felt  the  u-  mistakable  symptoms  of 
dea  h  approaching.  Joseph  then  begged  most 
earnestly  that  he  might  have  the  assistance  of  a 
priest ;  but  his  guardian,  who  was  a  determined  and 
inveterate  Freemason,  would  by  no  means  allow 
any  priest  to  be  admitted  into  his  house. 

The  dying  youth  upon  hearing  this,  was  much 
grieved  and  distressed,  aad  finding  himself  de 
prived  of  all  human  hope,  ha  had  recourse  in  his 
extremity  to  prayer,  and  most  fervently  invoked  his 
dear  Patron  St.  Joseph. 

Soon  after  this  a  merchant  presented  himself  at 
the  house  of  the  heartless  guardian,  and  requested 
to  speak  with  the  invalid ;  as  no  suspicions  were 
entertained  he  was  admitted  into  the  sick  room; 
arter  a  short  conversation  he  discovered  himself  to 
Joseph  as  a  p'iest  and  a  religious. 

“I  have  heard,”  he  said,  “of  your  distress,  and 
that  you  so  longed  for  the  help  of  a  priest.  I  am 
cime  to  receive  your  confession.” 

The  poor  young  man  made  his  confession,  and 
the  priest  having  giving  him  absolution,  promised 
to  return  in  two  days  and  bring  him  the  Holy 
Viaticum. 

When  he  came,  however,  on  the  second  day,  he 
found  only  the  corpse  of  the  poor  lad. 

But  surely  St.  Joseph  who  had  so  mercifully 
procured  him  the  benefit  of  the  one  Sacrament  to 
protect  him  in  his  dying  hour,  will  have  continued 
to  assist  him,  and  will,  we  may  hope  and  trust, 
have  helped  him  to  make  a  holy  and  peaceful  end. 


134 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


2.  The  Last  Moments  of  a  Papal  Zouave. 

The  following  is  the  account  of  the  death  of 
Joseph  La  Saiga  de  Villebrun,  Lieutenant  of  the 
Papal  Z.uaves,  which  was  sent  by  his  brother,  who 
was  a  volunteer  in  the  same  regiment,  to  his  family. 

My  Dearest  Mother  : — Whilst  still  under  the 
impression  of  this  terrible  event,  I  cannot  help 
communicating  to  you  some  particulars  relating  to 
the  last  moments  of  Joseph’s  life.  They  are,  in¬ 
deed,  of  a  nature  to  console  the  heart  of  any  Chris 
tian  mother. 

“  At  the  foot  of  his  bed  Joseph  had  placed  a  statue 
of  St.  Joseph,  together  with  a  little  statue  of  the 
Madonna.  One  morning  he  was  observed  to  gaze 
fixedly  upon  these  objects  for  a  longtime,  absorbed 
and  motionless,  excepting  that  his  lips  moved  from 
time  to  time  in  prayer.  His  orderly  at  last  in¬ 
quired  what  occupied  him  so  intently.  He  ans  wered : 

“  ‘  Go  quickly  and  tell  the  Sister  to  send  for  the 
chaplain ;  let  her  call  him  at  once.  I  want  to  go 
to  Confession,  and  St.  Joseph  says  I  must  make  no 
delay,  as  I  have  not  a  moment  to  lose.’ 

“  Immediately  the  R>v.  Father  Daniel  was 
brought  to  his  bedside,  and  after  hearing  his  Con 
feseion  (which  he  afterwards  told  me  was  a  most 
fervent  one),  the  priest  saii  to  the  Sister: 

u  ‘  I  am  going  to  offer  the  Holy  Sacrifice  for  him, 
and  will  af.,er  that  bring  him  the  Holy  Viatkum.’ 

“  At  first  my  brolher  seemed  quite  contented 
with  this  arrangement,  but  just  as  the  priest  was 
a&cend.ng  the  altar,  Joseph  again  sent  him  an  en- 


st.  Joseph's  help. 


135 


treaty  to  come,  saying  it  would  not  do  to  wait  till 
the  end  of  the  Mass,  as  by  that  time  he  would  have 
lost  his  consciousness,  which  he  would  never  re¬ 
cover. 

“  The  priest  most  kindly  came  at  once,  and  Jo¬ 
seph  received  Extreme  Unction,  joining  in  all  the 
prayers,  and  after  he  had  received  the  Holy  Com¬ 
munion,  he  made  acts  of  love  and  fervent  thanks¬ 
giving  to  God  for  having  granted  him  the  grace  of 
being  conscious  in  this  the  last  action  of  his  life. 
All  those  who  were  present  wept,  and  were  deeply 
moved  to  see  so  great  a  faith  in  the  midst  cf  his 
acute  sufferings.  Shortly  after  this  he  became  de¬ 
lirious  ;  but  even  in  the  wanderings  of  his  mind,  he 
still  made  aspirations  to  St.  Joseph.  Being  left 
alone  once,  only  for  a  few  seconds,  he  was  found 
to  have  got  out  of  bed  and  thrown  himself  upon  his 
knees  on  the  stone  floor  at  the  feet  of  the  statue, 
fervently  invoking  the  saint.  The  r  ext  day  he 
sank  into  a  state  of  prostration,  from  which  nothing 
c  nld  rouse  him  but  the  mention  of  St.  Josephs 
name. 

“The  last  time  I  saw  him  open  his  eyes, 
it  was  to  cast  one  last  lingering  look  upon  tbe 
image  of  his  dear  patron  saint  After  this  he 
seemed  to  be  so  much  quieter  that  it  was 
thought  he  might  rally  for  a  time;  but  no,  a 
few  moments  only  passed  and  then  he  breathed  a 
heavy  sigh,  and  all  was  over,  without  any  struggle 
cr  agoiy,  without  any  one  even  perceiving  that 
death  had  come. 

“  Yesterday  I  was  introduced  to  our  Holy  Father 
the  Pope.  One  of  the  Papal  court  acquainted  his 


136 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


Holiness  with  our  bereavement,  and  Le  addressed 
some  comforting  words,  and  held  out  his  hand  for 
me  to  kiss. 

“He  made  some  inquiries  concerning  Joseph, 
and  meanwhile  some  of  my  friends  brought  forward 
a  photograph  of  the  dead  Zouave,  which  one  of  the 
attendants  showed  to  his  Holiness.  Pius  IX.  wr<  to 
upon  it  the  word,  “  Pax  7ibi then  raising  h’s 
eyes  to  heaven,  he  said,  “  Ita  in  Paradiso  /”  (He 
is  in  Paradise.) 

“  The  loss  of  pcor  Joseph  has  been  Jameited, 
not  only  by  the  whole  of  the  regiment,  but  also  by 
several  Roman  families  with  whom  he  was  intimate 

“  I  have  been  earnestly  r  quested  to  distribu  e 
his  photographs,  and  thinking  that  it  would  be  in 
accordance  with  your  wishes,  I  have  done  bo 
Joseph  had  inspired  such  an  universal  interest,  that 
th’s  recognition  of  the'r  sympathy  could  hardly  be 
refused.” 

3  “I  shall  Die  in  the  Octave  of  St.  Joseph's 

Feast  V 

Since  the  particulars  I  am  about  to  relate  to  you 
refer  to  the  honor  of  St.  Joseph,  you  would  more 
naturally  expect  to  receive  them  from  the  pen  of 
our  dear  Sister  Aloysius  of  Gonzaga,  than  from 
mine ;  but,  alas !  death  has  entered  here. 

On  the  the  21st  of  March  she  gave  up  her  beauti¬ 
ful  soul  to  God,  after  she  had  given  us  the  example 
of  the  most  elevated  spectacle  that  can  be  sten  on 
earth — a  holy,  spotless  life,  crowned  with  the  mar¬ 
tyrdom  of  terrible  suffering.  This,  our  Sister  bore 
with  angelic  patienc1,  and  her  death  was  like  to 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


137 


that  of  those  sa  n‘s  whohavo  res'ed  sweetly  in  the 
Lord. 

Being  one  of  those  appointed  to  guide  her  in  the 
paihs  of  sanctification  and  of  perfection,  in  which 
alia  most  gtnerously  trod,  I  may  say  ihat  few  have 
known  her  better  than  myself,  and  I  may  truly  add 
that  in  her  were  found  the  most  brilliant  intellec¬ 
tual  talents,  together  with  a  childlike  faith,  and  a 
perfect  innocence  and  simplicity. 

She  has  passed  through  the  world  without 
being  tainted  by  its  evils,  as  cf  old  tha  three  chil¬ 
dren  were  preserved  from  the  flames  of  tha  fiery 
furnace  at  Babylon. 

Her  religious  life  counted  only  thirteen  years  and 
six  months,  and  yet  her  course  in  religion  may  be 
called  a  long  one,  for  all  her  days  were  well  filled, 
both  by  fighting  against  herself  and  by  her  self- 
sacrificing  devotion  to  the  welfare  of  her  neighbor. 

The  treasure  which  death  was  so  soon  to  take 
from  us  was  made  known  to  us  more  fully  during 
her  last  illness,  which  lasted  several  months,  and 
during  which  she  had  to  endure  the  greatest  suf¬ 
ferings.  Delicate  scrupulousness,  humility,  pa¬ 
tience,  a  detachment  frcm  all  earthly  things,  and  a 
longing  for  heaven,  such  were  the  revelations  of 
these  last  months  of  unspeakable  suffering. 

She  had  always  entertained  a  great  devotion  for 
Sfc.  Joseph,  and  eagerly  sought  to  gain  others  to 
love  him.  Indeed  the  Arciconfraternity  of  Angers 
has  largely  reaped  the  fruits  of  her  zeal  in  promot¬ 
ing  the  honor  of  the  great  and  Hily  Patriarch. 

“  I  shall  die  in  the  octave  of  his  feast,”  she  said 
to  me  some  days  before  the  19  h  of  March,  And 


138 


st,  Joseph’s  help. 


as  I  have  said  before,  she  gently  departed  on  (he 
21st  of  the  same  month,  after  receiving  from  he.i 
superiors  the  permission  to  die.  “  For  thus  to  die 
in  obedience  will  be  much  more  beautiful,”  sh© 
said  to  the  Reverend  Mother. 

The  little  altar  which  she  had  erected  to  St. 
Joseph,  and  adorned  in  her  cell  during  the  month 
of  March,  was  left  until  the  corpse  of  our  beloved 
Sister  was  removed;  and  the  choir  of  the  tem¬ 
porary  altar  of  St.  Joseph  for  March  hsd  to  bo 
changed  in  order  to  make  room  for  the  coffin. 

These  circumstances  are  all  touching  when  we 
remember  what  a  tender  devotion  she  had  towards 
St.  Joseph. 

4.  “Behold  St,  Joseph  is  Oqming  to  Fetch  Me.” 

“You  will  most  likely  remember  that  among  our 
school  children  we  Lad  a  little  girl  who  was  a 
Protestant,  the  niece  of  General  N— — .  By  (be 
assistance  of  the  Bussed  Yirg'n  and  Sh  Joseph  it 
was  arranged  for  her  to  remain  with  us,  although 
after  the  death  of  the  General,  her  relations  made 
©very  effort  to  take  her  from  the  convent. 

During  the  fifteen  months  of  her  stay  here,  the 
child  had  acquired  a  deep  devotion  to  St  Joseph. 
She  was  always  displeased  whenever  it  happened 
in  the  chapel  the  image  of  this  her  dear  saint  was 
less  adorned  than  that  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  snd 
she  also  frequently  spoke  of  St.  Joseph  with  groat 
love. 

Her  most  ardent  des’re  was  to  receive  Baptism 
and  to  make  her  first  Confession  ;  but  as  she  was 
born  of  Protestant  parents,  and  as  besides  all  her 


ST.  jo  eph'h  HiLP. 


139 


family  were  Protc  slants,  it  was  thought  necessary 
to  wait  until  she  had  attained  her  fourteenth  year 
before  allowing  her  to  do  so. 

Shortly  after  the  Epiphany  she  fell  into  so 
dangerous  an  illness  that  soon  every  hope  of  her 
recovery  was  given  up.  Now  the  poor  child  could 
not  rest  until  she  had  received  the  Holy  Sacraments 
of  Baptism  (conditirnally)and  of  Penance,  and  had 
been  anointed.  Shortly  after,  indeed  tho  very  day 
following  her  fourteenth  birthday,  she  received 
Holy  Communion  with  great  fervor  in  presence  of 
some  of  her  relations. 

All  the  time  of  her  illness  the  sick  child  had 
suffered  patiently,  but  from  this  moment  she  be¬ 
came  a  real  model  of  gentle  resignation.  From  the 
first  she  had  rej  need  at  the  prospect  of  going  soon 
to  heaven,  and  one  of  her  most  joyful  anticipations 
was  that  she  should  see  and  know  St.  Joseph.  Her 
unshaken  devotion  to  him  was  rewarded  in  a 
wonderful  manner. 

For  two  days  we  had  been  expecting  her  death, 
when  on  the  Wednesday  she  suddenly  raised  her¬ 
self  upright  in  her  bed  and,  with  a  beaming 
countenance,  exclaimed : 

“  Look,  here  is  St.  Joseph  coming  to  take  me 
away !” 

I  inquired :  “  Where  is  he  ?” 

She  pointed  with  her  finger,  but  words  failed  to 
describe  the  Saint’s  appearance  distinctly.  She 
only  said:  “He  was  most  beautiful,  that  she  saw 
him  resplendent  and  surrounded  with  radiant  light.” 
See  conversed  aloud  with  him  for  about  a  quarter 
of  an  hour. 


140 


ST.  JOSEPH  S  HELP. 


Once  she  requested  me  to  move  a  little  to  oho 
side  that  she  might  see  him  better,  and  she  said  he 
beckoned  to  her  to  follow  him.  It  was  extraordin¬ 
arily  touching  to  hear  wi*h  what  simplicity  she  con¬ 
versed  with  him,  earnestly  begging  him  not  to  go 
wit  .out  taking  her  with  him.  She  preserved  her 
consciousness  to  the  last  moment,  and  then 
quietly  lay  back  on  her  pillow  and  breathed 
her  last.  It  was  a  sweet  death  !  St.  Joseph  will 
certainly  have  presented  this  innocent  and  pure 
soul  to  his  IXviui!  Son. 

The  confessor  of  the  convent  and  the  parish 
priest  to  whom  I  related  this  occurrence  both  de¬ 
clared  that  undoubtedly  this  little  child  had  seen 
St.  Joseph  before  her  death.  As  for  me,  I  can 
never  forget  her  countenance,  beaming  as  it  was 
with  joy;  even  death  could  not  mar  its  beauty. 
And  I  feel  certain  that  henceforth  the  whole  house 
wi  1  make  a  point  of  keeping  the  feast  of  St.  Joseph 
With  greater  honor  and  devotion  than  ever,  and 
that  all  will  seek  his  intercession  with  redoubled 
confidence. 

5.  An  Edifying  Death. 

On  the  23d  of  March,  last  year,  a  young  girl 
died  who  had  spent  three  years  in  the  boarding- 
school  of  Not  e  Dame  d©  Charite.  During  the  first 
two  years  G  X  had  shown  a  rather  disagreeable 
character,  but  lately  the  wholesome  ©fleets  of  a  re¬ 
treat  had  manifested  themselves  in  her ;  she  gave 
herself  more  to  prayer,  and  the  habit  of  pious  recol¬ 
lection  and  other  improvements  indicated  a  change 
in  her  disposition. 


ST.  J.SUPh's  HELP. 


141 


Her  mother  came  to  visit  her  on  the  25th  of 
February,  and  finding  her  a  little  indisposed  pro¬ 
posed  to  return  her  to  her  home.  Without  much 
consideration,  she  at  once  agreed  to  the  proposal, 
and  immediately  informed  her  companions  that  she 
was  going  to  leave  school.  On  the  1st  of  March, 
however,  she  became  worse  and  was  obliged  to 
keep  her  bed.  It  was  then  that  the  words  of  one 
of  her  mistresses  recurred  to  her  mind: 

44  My  child,  will  not  the  world  be  injurious  to 
you?”  She  pondered  over  this  thought  and  con¬ 
sidered  besides  all  the  good  advice  that  she  )  d  re¬ 
ceived,  especially  concerning  prayer;  these  reflec¬ 
tions  weighed  upon  her  heart,  and  at  last  she  made 
thi3  generous  proposal  to  St.  Joseph : 

44  Oh !  my  dearest  Father,  if  you  foresee  that  I 
shall  be  lost  in  the  world,  let  me  rather  die  at 
once.” 

On  the  6fch  of  March  the  doctor  declared  that 
her  recovery  was  hopeless,  as  rapid  consumption 
had  set  in.  The  sick  girl,  who  had  guessed  as 
much,  asked  her  mistress  to  tell  her  without  dis¬ 
guise  what  the  doctor’s  opinion  had  been.  The 
good  nun  hesitated : 

“Mother,”  said  the  child,  44 1  am  going  to  die;  1 
have  prated  to  God  through  the  intercession  of  St. 
Joseph  that  it  might  be  so,  and  I  feel  that  my 
prayer  has  been  heard.” 

Her  eyes  were  dimmed  with  tears,  and  on  being 
asked  whether  she  regretted  the  loss  of  her  life, 
she  replied : 

“Oh,  no!  for  I  well  know  now  that  I  could  not 
have  sav^d  my  soul  in  the  world.”  From  this  mo- 


142 


ST.  aOSKpffs  HELP. 

m«nt  Ebe  could  net  help  expressing  to  all  the  hap 
piness  she  felt  at  this  sud  Jen  change  in  her  des  iny. 
At  the  la;t,  however,  a  great  trial  caused  her  some 
moments  of  disturbance.  The  inmost  wish  of  her 
heart  was  to  die  in  the  house  which  had  been  the 
means  cf  such  precious  graces  to  her  soul.  On  the 
other  hand,  her  parents  urged  her  returning  home 
at  one©  to  them. 

“I  have  good  reasons  for  wishing  io  die  her  ,” 
she  said ;  “they  will  all  pray  for  me  and  off  r  many 
Communions  for  me  by  which  I  may  hope  to  be 
freed  from  Purgatory,  and  so  go  sooner  to  my  dear 
Loi  d  !  ” 

Thrice  did  the  parents  yield  to  their  daughter’s 
wish,  but  the  fourth  time  that  they  urged  their 
desire,  O.  X.  thought  herself  bound  to  submit  to 
her  mistress’s  adv'c©,  and  to  comply  with  the  loving 
requ  sis  of  her  parents.  Perhaps  God  wanted  to 
console  her  relations  by  the  sight  of  the  holy  and 
edifying  de^th  cf  their  child.  Bo  she  was  taken  to 
her  heme.  Upon  the  17th  of  March,  feeling  more 
oppressed,  the  dying  child  asked  to  be  ano'ff.ed, 
and  on  the  next  day  she  received  the  Holy  Viati¬ 
cum.  Two  of  her  school  companions  came  to  visit 
her  on  the  20tb,  and  knowing  that  she  so  longed  to 
h&ve  died  on  the  feast  of  Bt.  Joseph,  they  said  to 
her: 

“Well,  you  see,  Sc.  Joseph  has  not  taken  ycu,  as 
you  desired,  on  his  feast.” 

“  Oh !  ”  she  replied,  “it  was  because  he  did  rot 
think  me  well  prepared  enough,  but  he  will  cer¬ 
tainly  take  me  before  the  conclusion  of  his  octave.” 

Her  disconsolate  father  besought  her  to  ask  Al- 


bt.  Joseph's  help- 


143 


mighty  God  to  restore  her  to  health ;  bat  she 
answered : 

“  I  cannot  do  so,  for  I  have  prayed  that  I  nrght 
die  in  order  to  save  my  soul,  and  the  good  God 
has  granted  my  petition ;  I  thank  Him  for  it.” 

She  faced  death  with  a  wonderful  peace  of  mind. 
When  the  cold  sweat  burst  forth  upon  her  fore¬ 
head,  she  said  to  her  mother : 

“  This  is  the  sweat  of  death,  it  will  not  last  long 
now ;  please  bring  me  my  veil,  as  I  wish  to  be 
buried  in  it.” 

They  asked  if  she  desired  that  her  crucifix,  which 
she  so  frequently  carried  about  her,  should  be 
buried  with  her  also. 

u  No,  keep  that,”  she  raid  ;  “  the  sight  of  it  will 
comfort  you ;  I  have  a  scapular  and  my  medals, 
that  is  enough.  Tell  the  Beverend  Mother  ard  my 
companions  that  I  shall  not  forget  their  commis¬ 
sions  !”  And  being  asked  by  her  mother  what  these 
were,  she  said: 

“  Ob  !  it  ia  for  heaven.  God  and  the  saints  know 
well  what  has  been  recommeaded  to  me!” 

In  these  sentiments  0.  X.  yielded  up  her  pious 
soul  to  her  Greater.  In  was  on  the  fourth  day  of 
the  octave  of  St.  Joseph. 

May  all  pious  souls  commit  all  their  necessities, 
and  especially  the  hour  of  their  departure  out  of 
this  world,  into  the  hands  of  the  great  and  power¬ 
ful  Foster-Father  of  our  Lord. 


144 


ST.  JOSEPH  S  HELP. 


6.  St.  Joseph  does  not  Forget  His  Clients  at  the 

Hour  of  Death. 

The  following  is  a  touching  account  of  the  last 
moments  of  a  Christian  Brother,  who  during  the 
time  he  was  teaching  at  Tunis,  showed  himself  a 
zealous  promoter  of  the  devotion  to  St.  Joseph. 

Obliged  to  return  to  France  to  recover  his  health, 
which  had  been  undermined  by  the  African  climate, 
this  true  servant  of  the  Holy  Patriarch,  being  ripe 
for  heaven,  entered  into  his  eternal  rest.  The  Su¬ 
perior  of  the  house  where  this  good  Brother  had 
died,  has  communicated  the  following  touching 
particulars : 

“Our  dear  Brother  Protegenius  came  to  this 
house  in  the  beginning  of  November,  1868  When 
he  beheld  our  pleasant  abode,  the  solitude  of  Fon- 
scrune,  outside  Beziers,  he  rejoiced,  saying  he 
hoped  soon  to  recover  his  health.  In  fact,  he  felt  a 
great  improvement  in  it  during  the  first  weeks ; 
but,  nevertheless,  towards  Christmastlde,  the  spit¬ 
ting  of  blood  again  came  on,  and  he  understood 
that  all  the  skill  of  doctors  was  now  powerless,  so 
that  there  remained  nothing  for  him  to  do  but  to 
prepare  for  a  good  and  holy  death. 

“  He  spoke  to  all  those  who  came  near  him  with 
wonderful  calmness,  and  evinced  a  great  certainty 
of  the  nearness  of  his  approaching  end,  so  much  so 
that  he  predicted  that  his  departure  out  of  this  life 
would  occur  on  the  feast  of  his  dear  patron  and 
protector  St.  Joseph. 

“  When  at  last  he  became  bedridden,  he  requested 
to  have  by  him  a  picture  representing  the  death  of 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


145 


St.  Joseph,  and,  having  obtained  his  wish,  he  took 
it  into  Lis  hands  and,  kissing  it  most  tenderly,  ex¬ 
claimed:  ‘Oh,  dear  St.  Joseph!  Oh,  good  St. 
Joseph !  remember  your  promise  and  grant  me  the 
grace  to  depart  on  your  feast  day,  and,  like  you,  to 
die  in  the  arms  of  Jesus  and  Mary!’ 

“  The  picture  being  hung  by  the  side  of  his  bed, 
the  sick  Brother  kept  his  eyes  incessantly  fixed 
upon  it.  In  spite  of  our  bast  endeavors  to  procure 
for  him  palatable  food  and  refreshing  drinks,  he  had 
completely  lost  all  appetite,  and  his  frame  became 
so  emaciated  that  it  more  resembled  a  skeleton  than 
a  living  being. 

“It  appeared  from  what  h©  told  some  one  in  con¬ 
fidence,  a  few  days  before  his  death,  that  whilst  in 
Tunis  he  had  in  the  month  of  March,  1868,  made 
an  offering  of  his  life  in  order  to  obtain  the  salva¬ 
tion  of  the  soul  of  one  of  his  former  scholars,  who 
had  been  seized  with  brain  fever,  and  was  dying 
without  the  S&craments. 

“Hardly  had  Brother  Protogenius  made  this 
offering  to  our  Lord  than  the  youth  recovered  his 
consciousness,  contrary  to  every  expectation  of  the 
doctors,  and  begged  to  see  a  Capuchin  Father,  and, 
having  confessed,  he  received  all  the  Sacraments 
with  a  contrite  heart,  and  died  a  most  edifying 
death. 

“  Meanwhile  a  very  slight  indisposition  of  Brother 
Protegenius  began  now  to  assume  a  serious  char¬ 
acter,  and  at  length  it  prevented  him  from  fulfilling 
his  duties  as  teacher.  It  was  found  necessary  to 
send  him  back  to  France  in  the  hope  that  his  native 
air  would  help  to  his  recovery. 


146 


ST.  JOSEPHS  HELP. 


“  Bui;  God  had  accepted  his  generous  sacrifice, 
and  Sfc.  Joseph,  by  whose  hands  it  was  ofiered, 
gave  him  the  assurance  that  he  would  recover  no 
more,  but  that  at  the  end  of  the  March  following 
he  would  reach  the  term  of  his  earthly  pilgr'mage. 
When  the  doctors  who  attended  him  tried  to  laad 
him  t®  i xpect  his  recovery,  he  thanked  them  kindly, 
but  no  sooner  had  they  left  him  than  he  said  to  the 
Brothers : 

“‘We  shall  see  whether  the  doctors  or  I  have 
spoken  rightly.’ 

“  About  the  middle  of  February,  when  the  con¬ 
fessor  of  the  Novitiate  was  about  to  be  absent  him¬ 
self  for  a  few  days,  he  proposed  to  give  him  the  last 
anointing  before  leaving,  but  Brother  Protegenius 
answered  with  great  confidence: 

“  ‘  Father,  you  may  go  without  fear,  because  on 
your  rein!  n  you  will  find  me  in  the  same  state  as 
you  left  me ;  my  hour  is  not  yet  come.’  He  gave 
the  same  answer  when  the  like  proposal  was  made 
to  him  on  the  25  th  of  February,  and  repeated 
again:  ‘My  hour  is  not  yet  come.’ 

“On  the  28th  of  February  he  received  Holy 
Communion,  which  favor  was  granted  to  him  every 
8m  day.  Towards  evening  he  asked  that  the 
Brother  Superior  might  be  fetched,  and  said : 

“  ‘To-morrow  the  month  of  St.  Joseph  begins,  that 
month  in  which  my  dear  patron  Saint  will  open 
the  gates  of  Paradise  to  me  and  introduce  me  into 
his  heavenly  country.  I  asked  him  to  let  me  die 
on  his  feast,  but  in  consideration  of  the  disturbance 
it  would  cause  in  the  house  cn  that  day,  it  being 
besides  tha  feast  of  the  Patron  of  the  Institute,  and 


ST.  JOSEPHS  HELP. 


147 


of  the  NovitiUe,  my  death  would  interfere  wi  h  all 
the  arrargement3,  bo  I  have  begged  him  to  let  me 
die  on  the  3d  of  March,  which  is  the  first  Wednes¬ 
day  of  the  month,  and  my  prayer  has  been  accepted. 
If  it  will  suit  the  chaplain,  I  will  prepare  to  re¬ 
ceive  Extreme  Unction  to  morrow.’ 

“He  received  this  holy  Sacrament  with  full  con¬ 
sciousness  and  such  beautiful  sentiments  of  faith 
and  resignation  that  all  present  were  moved  to 
tears.  Towards  evening  he  fell  into  a  state  of  weak¬ 
ness  so  great  that  we  feared  he  would  not  live 
through  the  night.  All  therefore  remained  prating 
around  his  bed;  he  s! ill  continued  to  answer  and 
join  in  the  devotions,  and  the  confessor  gave  him 
the  indulgence  in  articulo  mortis.  When  these 
several  ceremonies  were  ended  the  dying  Brother 
expressed  his  gratitude  to  his  community,  looking 
lovingly  at  each  of  them,  he  raised  his  eyes  to 
Heaven  as  if  to  say  :  ‘The  good  God  and  St.  Jo¬ 
seph  will  reward  you  for  all  you  have  done  for  me ; 
I  am  going  to  them  to  await  your  coming.’ 

“Tuesday  passed  on  quietly;  he  repeatedly 
kissed  the  crucifix  and  the  picture  of  St.  Joseph, 
saying  ;  ‘  To-morrow  I  shall  leave  this  p  aca  of 
banishment,  this  valley  of  tears.’ 

“About  t we’ve  at  night  h©  sent  the  infirmarian 
to  rest,  and  only  one  Brother  remained  with  him. 
Towards  four  o’clock  he  asked  him  to  hand  him  his 
crucifix,  and  a  little  statue  of  St.  Joseph,  and  hav¬ 
ing  impressed  on  them  most  loving  kisses,  he  fell 
into  a  kind  of  slumber.  The  Brother  who  was 
watching  took  this  opportunity  to  go  and  call  the 
community;  on  returning,  scarcely  three  minutes 


148 


ST.  JOSEPH  S  HELP. 


after,  ho  found  the  dear  Brother  breathing  his  last 
sigh,  whilst  pressing  to  his  heart  the  images  of  his 
Redeemer  and  of  his  beloved  patron  saint.  It  hap¬ 
pened  jus  1  as  he  had  predicted— -he  died  on  tie 
mornirg  of  the  first  Wednesday  in  March.  Brother 
Protegenius  was  in  his  forty-fifth  year.  All  his 
brethren  admired  the  goodness  of  G;d  toward  i 
him,  and  the  wonderful  favor  which  St.  Joseph  had 
obtained  for  him.  From  that  time  the  novices 
never  mention  him  but  as  the  beloved  servant  and 
client  of  Si.  Joseph. 


7.  St.  Jo?eph  Obtains  fob  a  Sick  Person  the  Grace 
of  Dying  in  the  Arms  of  Jesus  and  Mary. 

Our  dear  Sister  Joanna,  who  for  sis  years  had 
been  confined  to  her  bed  by  a  grievous  sickness, 
was  ever  heartily  longing  for  the  moment  to  come 
when  she  should  go  to  rest  in  our  Lord.  Although 
she  was  very  suffering,  the  and  did  not  as  yet  seem 
to  foe  near. 

About  a  month  ago,  writes  the  Superioress,  the 
doctor  appeared  even  to  notice  some  improvement, 
and  from  day  to  day  her  nurses  shared  in  this 
opinion.  One  day  alter  Mass  one  of  the  nuns  came 
to  her  and  said: 

a  Sister  Joanna,  do  you  know  what  day  this  is  ? 
Is  it  not  Wednesday,  S  .  Joseph’s  Day?” 

“  Oh,  my  dear  Sister,”  answered  the  sick  nun  ; 
6i  yes,  it  is  the  day  of  St.  Joseph !  This  day  my 
end  must  come.  Oh,  let  us  pray,”  she  added  earn¬ 
estly,  “  that  this  may  be  so !” 

The  other  hesitated  a  moment,  but  then  replied  : 


8T.  JOSEPHS  HELP. 


149 


“Several  saints  have  prayed  to  God  that  He 
might  let  them  die  on  such  or  such  a  day,  and  they 
were  heard.  We  may  also  make  a  similar  request 
to  St.  Joseph.” 

“  Ob,  yes !  And  do  you  ask  it,”  was  the  reply. 

Then  the  nun  prayed  aloud  : 

“  Oh,  holy  Joseph !  grant  to  my  Sister  Joanna 
the  grace  to  die  like  you,  in  the  arms  of  Jesus  and 
Mary.  Open  to  her  on  this  day,  which  is  conse- 
crated  to  your  honor,  the  Gate  of  Heaven  and  of 
the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus,  if  such  be  the  will  of 
God.” 

The  sick  nun  repeated  every  word  with  ardent 
fervor,  and  at  the  end  she  said  : 

“Add — let  it  not  happen  in  the  night.” 

The  Sister  then  added : 

“Moreover,  let  it  be  before  night,  good  Sfc.  Jo¬ 
seph,  and  only  grant  this  prayer  if  her  debts  are 
already  paid,  and  if  her  crown  be  already  prepared.” 

Sister  Joanna  gave  a  nod  of  assent,  saying: 
“  Other  wise  I  prefer  to  suffer  more  here.” 

She  continued  makicg  more  ejaculations,  and  as 
she  was  concluding  her  prayers,  the  nun  who  had 
watched  by  her  in  the  light  came  to  her  and  in¬ 
quired  how  she  feit.  Sister  Joanna  replied  that 
she  should  probably  die  that  day.  The  Sister  re¬ 
pudiated  this  idea  altogether,  and  said  that,  on  the 
contrary,  she  thought  she  was  getting  better. 
Meanwhile,  the  morning  went  on,  and  as  the  hours 
passe  i  the  hope  of  the  sufferer  appeared  to  change 
into  a  strong  conviction.  When  our  Reverend 
Mo.li'r,  who  orly  left  the  sick-ro  m  fer  business  or 
her  m  .re  important  avocations,  returned  to  her  s^t 


150 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


by  the  bedside,  Sister  Joanna  said  to  her  very  con¬ 
fidently  : 

“Beverend  Mother,  I  shall  yet  die  in  this 
month.” 

“  How  so,  this  month  ?  Why,  do  you  know  what 
day  of  the  month  it  is  ?  ” 

She  replied:  “Yes;  it  is  the  31st,  and  St. 
Joseph  has  whispered  to  me  that  I  shall  die  to¬ 
day.” 

However,  no  one  believed  that  she  spoke  seri¬ 
ously,  for  there  was  no  sign  of  any  change  for  the 
worse  to  be  noticed.  Still  she  continued  to  affirm 
that  she  should  die  that  day,  and  that  St.  Joseph, 
with  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  St.  John,  would  come 
and  carry  her  away.  She  said  to  the  Beverend 
Mother,  speaking  as  if  from  conviction : 

“  About  six  o’clock  I  shall  be  dead.” 

It  was  then  just  four  o’clock,  When  the  Superi¬ 
oress  returned  a  short  time  afterwards,  followed  by 
the  priest,  she  found  Sister  Joanna  much  weaker; 
the  priest,  however,  hesitated  about  giving  her  the 
last  Absolution,  as  he  said  nothing  looked  like  the 
near  approach  of  death,  and  he  should  be  very 
much  surprised  if  it  were  indeed  to  happen  that 
day.  It  was  now  five  o’clock.  The  dear  sufferer 
was  silent,  and  seemed  to  be  wrapt  in  great  recol¬ 
lection  ;  they  noticed  how  intently  she  kept  her 
ejes  fixed  on  the  statue  of  St.  Joseph.  Then  they 
asked  if  she  would  receive  the  Beverend  Mother’s 
blessing,  to  which  she  answered : 

“  Yes  ;  that  I  may  die  in  obedience.” 

The  Beverend  Mother  stood  up  at  once,  saying : 

“  My  dear  Sister,  if  our  Lord  calls  you  to  Him- 


st.  Joseph's  help. 


151 


self,  go  in  peace  under  the  protection  of  Mary. 
Nos  cum  prole  pia  benedicat  Virgo  Maria.” 

Thereupon  Sister  Joanna  said  with  a  loud  and 
strong  voice : 

“  I  am  already  judged.  I  shall  not  have  to  en¬ 
dure  any  pains  of  Purgatory.  God  the  Father  has 
sa*d  to  me,  ‘  Thou  art  My  beloved  daughter !’  I 
have  seen  the  Blessed  Virgin,  St.  Joseph  and  St 
John  the  Evangelist.  This  evening  the  Blessed 
Virgin  and  my  Guardian  Angel  will  place  a  crown 
of  glory  on  my  brow.  I  have  delivered  a  soul  from 
Purgatory.  Perhaps  I  may  yet  deliver  another 
one.” 

Here  the  elder  Sister  (whose  religious  name  was 
Mary  of  the  Assumption)  interrupted  her  to  in¬ 
quire,  “  Is  our  dear  Father  in  heaven  ?” 

“  Yes,  he  is  in  heaven,  but  I  have  not  been  there 
asy(t.  I  have  not  presented  your  petitions  to 
Almighty  God,  but  I  shall  do  so  presently.  There 
remains  nothing  for  me  but  to  die.  I  shall  soon  die 
— this  is, easy  for  me  now.  Buverend  Mother,  I 
have  promised  to  conceal  nothing  from  you,  there¬ 
fore  I  have  told  you  all.  This  evening  you  can  tell 
the  Sisters  in  recreation  ;  I  know  that  they  will  re¬ 
joice  with  me.”  Then,  upon  being  asked  whether 
she  would  like  the  chaplain  to  be  called,  she  said : 
“If  he  would  see  me  die,  it  is  time  he  should 
come.” 

The  whole  community  now  assembled  in  the 
sick  room ;  it  was  ten  minutes  past  five.  When  the 
priest  came,  the  Litany  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  was 
being  recited,  and  the  chaplain  then  snd  the  Ac's  of 
Faith,  Hope  and  Charity,  which  the  dying  run 


152 


et.  Joseph’s  help. 


repeated  with  him,  and  several  times  invoked  the 
holy  names  of  Jesus,  Mary  and  Joseph. 

“  My  dear  Sister,”  said  the  chaplain,  “  you  are 
already  in  the  Heart  of  Jesus ;  in  the  arms  of  Jesus ; 
you  are  resting  on  His  breast.” 

“  Forever  !  ”  she  replied. 

“Let  us  now,”  he  continued,  “ say  the  prayers 
for  the  dyirg.” 

“Yes,  wiliirgly,”  she  answered. 

While  these  devotions  were  going  on  she  ap¬ 
peared  to  be  rapidly  growing  weaker  and  weaker, 
and  when  the  prayers  were  ended  she  repeated 
cnce  more  the  holy  names  of  Jesus,  Mary  ard 
J oseph ;  then  sweetly  slept  in  our  Lord,  without 
the  least  struggle  or  agony.  It  was  ten  minutes 
to  six  o’clock.  The  chaplain,  who  was  present,  ad¬ 
mired  the  extraordir  ary  and  wonderful  grace  which 
our  Lord  had  granted  to  this  His  humble  hand¬ 
maid;  he  intoned  the  TeDeuin  at  once,  before  even 
proposing  to  commence  the  usual  prayers  for  the 
repose  of  her  soul. 

This  our  beloved  Sister  had  shown  herself  all  her 
life  a  model  of  simplicity,  innocence  and  obedience. 

This  account  was  written  by  Sister  N - ,  of  St. 

Ursula,  Superioress  of  the  convent  in  which  Sister 
Joanna  died. 

8.  A  Favor  Granted  by  the  Devout  Use  cf  St. 

Joseph’s  Cord. 

This  incident  comes  from  the  Lower  Rhine  : 

A  man  who  had  for  many  years  neg'ected  his  re- 
igious  duties  fell  dangerously  ill.  His  wife  en¬ 
treated  him  to  receive  the  last  Sacraments,  but  all 


ST.  j  seph’s  help. 


153 


in  vain,  and  she  dared  not  mention  the  subject 
again.  Being  a  devout  client  of  St.  Joseph,  her 
piety  made  her  ingenious,  and  she  came  to  me  to 
have  a  cord  of  St  Joseph  blessed,  and  placed  it 
secretly  on  her  sick  husband.  For  the  doctors 
having  ordered  him  pcfultices,  she  fastened  them  on 
by  tying  them  with  the  blessed  cord  round  his 
body. 

From  the  first  the  poor  man  felt  somewhat 
better,  and,  though  the  pains  again  increased, 
le  was  more  patient  and  more  resigned,  ard 
at  last,  of  his  own  accord,  asked  for  a  priest. 
He  received  the  last  Sacramants  with  great 
devotion,  shedding  tears  of  joy  and  c  ntrilion. 
He  asked  pardon  of  his  wife  and  children  for  having 
through  his  indifference  in  religious  matters  given 
them  as  much  disedification  and  pain,  and  he  ad¬ 
monished  his  children  to  hold  to  these  religieus 
principles  which  he,  now  at  the  hour  of  death,  em¬ 
braced,  and  not  to  be  led  away  by  those  opinions 
which  had  misled  him  during  his  life.  He  spoke  in 
like  manner  to  all  his  friends  and  relations  who 
visited  him.  But  he  could  not  understand  how  it 
was  that  all  of  a  sudden  he  had  become  so  changed. 
Whereupon  his  good  wife  discovered  to  him  the 
pious  artifice  she  had  practiced,  and  told  him  that 
he  was  indebted  to  St.  Joseph  for  this  grace. 

The  happy  convert  shed  tears  of  j  y  and  gratitude, 
and  insisted  on  at  once  being  ii  scribed  in  the  con 
fraternity  of  St.  Joseph.  Holding  the  blessed  cord 
in  his  hands,  he  repeatedly  kissed  it,  making  many 
loving  ejaculations. 

Finally  he  died  in  the  arms  of  St.  Joseph,  while 


154 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


his  trembling  hand  was  still  grasping  the  picture  of 
the  Saint.  His  last  words  were : 

“  Holy  Joseph,  lead  me  to  Jesus,  your  Foster- 
Son  and  my  Redeemer!” 


9.  A  Mysteeious  Expedition. 

During  the  night  of  January  2d,  1882,  a  strange 
old  man  presented  himself  at  the  house  of 

the  parish  priest  of  B - and  begged  of  him  to 

come  at  once  to  a  death-bed.  He  explained  to  him 
that  he  would  hud  the  dying  person  in  such  and 
such  a  house.  This  old  man  was  quite  unknown  to 
the  priest,  and  the  street  he  mentioned  bore  a  bad 
reputation. 

He  hesitated  therefore— could  it  be  some  treach¬ 
erous  snare  that  had  been  laid  for  him  ?  but  the 
stranger  egnn  urgently  renewed  his  request. 

“  It  is  important  that  you  coma  without  delay, 
for  it  is  a  poor  old  woman  in  her  agony  who  wants 
to  receive  the  last  Sacraments.” 

A  sacred  duty  hsd  to  be  performed,  so  the  priest 
hesitated  no  longer ;  he  dressed  himself  with  all 
epeed,  and  followed  the  unknown  messenger.  The 
night  was  bitterly  cold ;  the  old  man  seemed,  how¬ 
ever,  not  to  mind  it.  He  walked  on  quickly,  saying 
to  the  priest  by  way  of  encouragement : 

u  I  shall  wait  for  you  at  the  door.” 

The  door  at  which  they  stopped  led  into 
one  of  the  worst  houses  of  this  part  of  the  town, 
and  the  priest,  holding  the  mos i  Blessed  Sacrament 
in  his  hand,  was  at  first  se:zed  with  fear.  On 
second  thoughts,  however,  remembering  that  our 


st.  Joseph’s  hflp. 


155 


Lord  came  to  seek  and  to  save  sinners,  he  lock 
courage  in  the  thought  that  he  was  but  following 
in  the  footsteps  of  his  divine  Master,  and,  seiz  cg 
the  handle,  he  rang  loudly  at  the  house  door. 
No  answer  came ;  he  knocked  several  times,  but 
all  remained  quiet. 

The  old  man  was  standing  somewhat  aloof ;  at 
last,  the  priest,  turning  to  him,  said; 

“You  see  it  is  useless,  they  will  not  open  the 
door.” 

“  Let  me  try,”  replied  the  mysterious  stranger, 
and  he  came  forward  while  the  priest  retired  a  few 
steps  behind  him.  “As  soon  as  the  door  opens,” 
he  eaTd,  turning  to  him,  “  step  inside  as  quickly  as 
you  can  ;  go  upstairs  and  open  the  dour  of  the 
room  at  the  c  nd  of  the  passage ;  there  you  will  find 
the  dying  woman.” 

These  words  were  spoken  in  such  an  authoritative 
tone  that  the  priest  could  venture  no  objection. 
Then  the  old  man  knocked  in  a  peculiar  manner  at 
the  door  and  immediately  it  flew  open,  and  the 
priest  entered  without  difficulty ;  he  walked  up¬ 
stairs,  end,  opening  the  appointed  door,  found  him¬ 
self  beside  the  bed  of  a  sick  woman,  who,  being  in 
the  greatest  anguish  of  soul,  was  continually  crying 
between  sobs  and  sighs  : 

“  A  priest !  a  priest !  They  will  let  me  die  with¬ 
out  a  priest !  ” 

The  servant  of  God  drew  near. 

“My  daughter,”  he  said,  “here  is  the  priest.” 

She  could  not,  however,  believe  it. 

“No,”  she  said,  “no  one  in  this  house  would 
have  fetched  a  priest !  ” 


15G 


ST.  Joseph’s  help. 


My  child,  an  old  man  called  me  to  your  assist¬ 
ance.” 

X  know  no  old  man,”  she  said,  looking  aston¬ 
ished. 

At  last  the  priest  succeeded  in  convincing  her 
that  he  was  indeed  the  minister  of  the  Divine  Mercy 
whom  she  desired ;  and  he  prepared  her  to  maka 
her  confession  and  receive  the  last  Sacraments  of 
the  Church.  She  accused  herself  of  all  that  lay  so 
heavily  on  her  conscience— the  sins  of  a  longlife  of 
transgressions— and  expressed  so  deep  a 
sorrow  and  contrition,  that  the  priest  mar¬ 
velled  to  find  such  a  lively  faith  in  a  soul  which  h*d 
been  fo  long  and  so  utterly  separated  from  God. 
He  inquired  whether  she  had  retained  the  custom 
of  reciting  any  pariicu’ar  prayers. 

“  Only  a  daily  Hail  Mary  to  St.  Joseph  to  obtain 
a  happy  death,”  she  replied. 

The  prieet  now  prepared  everything  for  the  ad¬ 
ministration  of  the  last  Sacraments ;  whilst  he  was 
thus  engaged  several  persons  came  in  and  went  out 
of  the  room  without,  apparently,  seeming  to  not'ce 
}  is  presence.  He  gave  the  poor  woman  the  H"ly 
Viaticum  and  then  anointed  her,  and  did  not  leave 
this  penitent  sinner  until  she  had  peacefully  ren¬ 
dered  up  her  purified  soul  into  the  hands  of  her 
Lord. 

When  the  priest  left  the  house  to  return  home 
he  we~  fc  out  as  quietly  as  he  had  entered,  without 
meeting  any  one  on  the  way. 

As  he  was  pondering  over  the  c’rcums lances  of 
that  night,  and  on  the  blessed  mission  he  had 
accomplished,  he  became  convinced  that  the  kind 


6T.  JOSEPHS  HELP. 


157 


and  vererable  cld  man  could  have  been  no  other 
than  the  glorious  and  merciful  St.  Joseph,  the  pro¬ 
tector  of  the  dying. 

10.  A  Happy  Death. 

The  story  which  I  am  about  to  relate  was  written 
to  the  “Propagation”  of  Canada,  and  took  place 
in  New  York.  I  myself  read  it  in  an  English  news¬ 
paper,  and  I  think  it  will  edify  the  reader  as  much 
as  it  has  edified  me. 

About  five  and  twenty  years  ago,  near  the  large 
and  splendid  town  of  New  York,  in  a  lonely  and 
desolate  spot,  stood  a  poor  deserted  cottage,  which 
had  been  built  by  an  unfortunate  man  who  could 
find  no  shelter  in  that  rich  ®nd  populous  city. 

The  sight  of  this  hut  reminded  one  of  the  p^or 
stable  of  Bethlehem,  in  which  our  Saviour  deign:  d 
to  be  born,  being  exposed,  like  it,  to  every  wind 
and  inclemency  of  the  weather. 

In  this  miserable  habitation  an  unfortunate  sailor 
dwelt  alone.  He  had  fallen  in*o  the  greatest 
poverty  and  distress  from  long  continued  sickness, 
and  had  found  no  one  who  would  lend  him  a  help¬ 
ing  hand. 

In  the  extremity  of  his  misery  he  was  even  re¬ 
fused  admittance  into  the  hospitals,  since  he  had 
no  one  to  recommend  him,  and  no  one  to  pay  the 
expense  of  his  maintenance.  This  poor  man,  for¬ 
saken  by  all,  was,  indeed,  greatly  to  be  pitied. 
What  made  him  even  yet  more  an  object  of  com¬ 
passion  was  the  fact  that  during  his  long  voyages 
at  sea  he  had  entirely  given  up  the  practice  of  his 
religious  duties,  although  he  had  not  quite  lost  the 


158 


8T.  JOSEPH^  HELP. 


faith  i  but  for  many,  many  years— indeed,  ever 
sine©  his  childhood  he  had  not  so  much  as  once 
entered  ©  church. 

Of  all  the  good  teaching  of  his  pious  mother,  one 
thing  only  seemed  to  remain  impressed  upon  his 
memory  5  namely,  that  St.  Joseph  was  the  patron  of 
the  djing,  and  that  on  their  departing  this  life  be 
would  open  the  gates  of  Paradise  to  those  who 
should  have  asked  it  from  him  with  confidence.  In 
oongequenc©  of  this  belief,  and  full  of  trust  in  the 
power  cf  the  great  Patriarch,  he  had  never  let  one 
day  pass  without  reciting  three  Paters  and  three 
Aves  in  honor  of  St.  Joseph  to  obtain  the  grace  of 
a  happy  death.  Oa  land  as  well  as  at  sea,  in  storms 
and  in  calms,  always  and  everywhere,  the  old  sailor 
had  been  faithful  to  this  on©  devotion;  and  row  in 
his  poor  and  lonely  hut,  when  forsaken  by  all,  he 
was  left  alone  to  face  death,  this  practice  became 
his  only  consolation  and  comfcrt. 

Bat,  alas!  as  yet  St.  Joseph  h&d  never  come  to 
his  assistance  any  more  than  had  any  of  his  fellow- 
men ;  he  did  not  appear  to  take  any  notice  of  him. 

“  Oh!  but  lie  will  come  at  last,”  thought  the  poor 
forsaken  man,  and  he  went  on  praying. 

He  was  not  mistaken.  On©  day  some  one 
knocked  at  the  door. 

u  Com©  in,”  said  the  dying  sailor,  with  a  weak 
and  feeble  voice ;  “  Open— enter,  oh,  holy  St. 
Joseph !  for  who  els©  would  come  to  me,  a  poor, 
miserable  and  forlorn  creature,  but  you!” 

And,  truly,  what  happens!  not,  indeed,  St.  Joseph 
in  person,  but  he  whom  St.  Joseph  had  sent  to 
bring  consolation  to  th©  dying  man  entered.  Who 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


159 


then  was  tlr  s  ?  Oh,  marvel  of  love  and  mercy  ! 
It  was  our  Divine  Saviour  Himself,  Jesus  in  the 
most  B  eased  Sacrament,  and  the  priest,  his  min¬ 
ister,  bringing  comfort  and  refreshment  to  the  poor 
sinner  in  his  last  hour. 

As  may  well  be  imagined,  the  sailor  received  the 
last  Sacraments  with  the  liveliest  feelings  of  faith, 
gratitude  and  love ;  betokened  by  the  tears  which, 
rolling  from  his  sunken  eyes,  fell  down  his  weather¬ 
beaten  and  withered  cheeks. 

“Who  then  told  you,  Father,  of  my  sad  condi¬ 
tion  ?”  inquired  the  old  sailor  of  the  priest. 

“  My  good  friend,  it  was  an  old  man  of  venerable 
appearance,  whom  I  have  never  seen  before,  and  I 
am  unacquainted  with  his  name.” 

“Oh!”  rejoined  the  sailor,  “I  am  sure  I  know 
him ;  it  must  be  my  good  St.  Joseph,  who  has  at 
last  heard  the  three  Paters  and  Aves  which  from 
my  childhood  I  have  offered  to  him  to  obtain  the 
grace  of  a  happy  death.” 

And  then  for  a  last  time  he  recited  in  thanks¬ 
giving  those  saving  prayers  which  had  opened  to 
him  the  arms  of  the  Divine  mercy,  and  later  ob¬ 
tained,  we  may  hope,  that  the  gates  of  Paradise 
should  be  thrown  open  to  receive  him. 

For  he  died,  as  truly  all  the  faithful  clients  of 
St.  Joseph  may  hope  to  die,  with  the  smile  of  peace 
pon  his  lips  and  joy  and  confi  leace  in  his  heart. 


160 


ST.  JOSEPH^  HELP. 


11.  St.  Joseph  and  a  Freemason. 

We  take  the  following  account  of  a  wonderful 
grace  obtained  by  the  intercession  of  S^.  Joseph, 
from  the  relation  of  the  Carmelite,  Fa ‘her  Philip, 
of  St  Bernard,  and  which  appeared  in  a  paper,  en¬ 
titled,  “The  Client  of  St  Joseph.” 

“Having  hoard  that  &  young  man  from  Cologna, 
in  the  Diocese  of  Ravenna,  who  had  unfortunately 
fallen  into  the  snares  of  the  Freemasons,  had  ob¬ 
tained  a  singular  grace  from  St.  Joseph,  the  patron 
of  the  Universal  Church,  I  asked  the  parish  priest 
of  that  place  to  give  me  an  ex*cfc  account  of  all  the 
circumstances  of  the  event,  my  intention  being  to 
publish  them  in  this  narration,  that  thereby  the 
powerful  influence  of  the  saint  might  become  more 
and  more  renowned,  and  that  the  faithful  might  be 
more  excited  to  have  recourse  to  him  in  all  their 
necessities,  and  acquire  the  strong  conviction  of 
that  saying  of  St.  Teresa,  the  greatest  promoter  of 
this  devotion,  *  that  it  is  granted  to  St.  Joseph  to 
afford  help  in  every  need,  whereas  th©  other  saints 
only  bring  help  in  some  particular  necessity.’ 

“  The  following  is  the  letter  which  I  received 
from  th©  parish  priest  in  answer  to  my  request. 

“ 4  Reverend  Father  : — Your  Reverence  has  in¬ 
quired  about  the  particular  circumstances  concern¬ 
ing  a  certain  apothecary  of  this  place  called  Ga¬ 
briel  Cassini,  whose  death  occurred  on  April  10th, 
1868, 

44  4  I  most  willingly  comply  with  your  desire,  as 


st.  Joseph's  help. 


161 


this  event  is  likely  to  show  forth  the  mercy  of  God, 
and  the  powerful  intercession  of  the  glorious  St. 
Joseph ;  perhaps  also  some  sinful  soul  may  be 
touched  by  this  account,  and  return  to  the  way  of 
salvation. 

“ 4  Gabriel  Cassini,  a  young  man  of  about  thirty- 
three  years  of  age,  was  when  thus  in  the  prime  of 
life,  seized  by  a  slow,  but  mortal  disease.  Towards 
the  end  of  the  year  1867,  his  state  of  health  grew 
so  much  worse  as  to  become  hopeless.  Although 
his  end  was  evidently  approaching,  he  still  so  clung 
to  life  that  he  would  not  hear  of  the  necessity  of 
attending  to  the  concerns  of  his  soul.  I  feared, 
therefore,  that  he  would  die  without  receiving  the 
Sacraments  of  the  Church.  On  Christmas  morning 
I  received  intelligence  that  his  illness  had  so  much 
increased  that  he  was  hardly  expected  to  live  for 
more  than  a  few  hours.  Nevertheless,  he  expressed 
no  desire  to  see  a  priest,  but  showed  a  determined 
unwillingness  to  admit  one.  I  was  in  the  greatest 
perplexity,  as  I  feared  to  make  matters  worse  if  I 
presented  myself  unsought. 

“  4  Then  I  felt  inspired  to  offer  the  third  Mass  of 
Christmas  for  the  dying  man  with  the  intention 
that  God  in  His  mercy  would  check  the  progress 
of  the  disease,  in  order  to  give  him  time  to  apply 
himself  to  the  care  of  his  eternal  salvation.  Be¬ 
fore  the  close  of  the  day  I  was  filled  with  an  inde¬ 
scribable  consolation  and  hope  on  receiving  the 
information  that  a  great  change  for  the  better  had 
come  over  the  sick  mao.  I  waited  a  few  days,  and 
then  under  the  pretence  of  a  visit,  I  tried  to  come 
into  communication  with  him,  and  when  he  received 


162 


ST.  JOSEPH^  HELP. 


me,  I  found  him  strong  enough  to  be  able  to  con¬ 
verse  a  little  without  over  fatigue.  Then  I  saw 
that  my  visit  seemed  to  give  him  pleasure,  I  re¬ 
solved  to  cal!  again,  but  for  the  sake  of  preparing 
the  way,  I  kept  the  conversation  upon  indifferent 
topics,  so  that  by  degrees  I  might  the  better  bring 
forward  the  important  subjects  about  which  I 
wanted  to  treat  with  him,  whenever  an  opportunity 
should  present  itself. 

“  4  H©  want  on  as  usual  for  about  a  month,  when 
suddenly  he  was  again  taken  so  ill  that  great  ap¬ 
prehensions  were  felt  of  his  approaching  end.  I 
did  not  cease  to  call,  and  awaited  the  opportunity 
of  speaking  to  him  about  his  soul.  On  the  10 Lh  of 
March,  the  first  day  of  St.  Joseph’s  Novena,  he 
spoke  with  sadness,  lamenting  that  his  life  was 
ebbing  slowly  but  surely  away.  The  moment 
teemed  to  have  come  to  broach  the  subject  that  was 
so  near  my  heart,  and  I  said  as  gently  and  kindly 
as  I  could : 

44  4  Sir,  if  indeed  you  feel  weaker,  you  should 
think  a  little  of  your  soul.7 

51 6  Hardly  had  I  uttered  these  words  than  he 
fixed  his  eyes  glaringly  upon  me  as  if  wishing  to 
intimidate  me  and  exclaimed  : 

44  4 1  suspected  indeed  that  your  frequent  visits 
had  some  particular  aim,  but  you  must  know  that 
I  will  hear  nothing  about  the  Pope,  the  priests,  or 
confession,  and  that  I  shall  never  give  in  to  any  of 
your  nonsensical  delusions.’7 

My  dear  friend,”  I  replied  in  the  mildest  tone 
I  could  command,  “  your  illness  has  become  so  se¬ 
rious  that  I  cannot  enter  into  a  discussion  with  you 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


163 


without  the  risk  of  accelerating  your  death,  and 
thus  deprivit  g  you  of  these  last  precious  moments, 
which  you  ought  to  employ  in  reflecting  upon  your 
salva'icn;  but  one  thing  I  may  tell  you,  and  that 
is  many  stronger  minds  than  yours,  who  were  like 
you,  enemies  to  religion,  have,  in  such  moments  as 
these  altered  their  opinions,  and  on  the  brink  of 
eternity  renounced  their  foolish  prejudices.  Con¬ 
sider  well,  if  you  love  your  soul,  that  you  wfll  not 
be  deceived,  for  such  an  error  will  be  irreparable. 
Now  I  will  go,  for  fear  I  should  disquiet  you  and 
make  you  worse,  but  I  shall  pray  for  you  as  I  did 
before.  On  Christmas  night  when  you  were  in  a 
simiiar  crisis,  I  tffered  the  third  Mass  with  the  ia- 
tention  that  God  in  His  mercy  wou  d  grant  yon 
time  for  conversion.  Now  I  will  pray  with  all  con¬ 
fidence  that  God  in  His  goodness  will  bestow  on 
you  the  treasures  of  His  infinite  compassion.  May 
the  b  easing  of  the  Lord  come  upon  you  !” 

u  1  With  tears  in  my  eyes  I  left  the  house,  and 
coming  home  I  began  at  once  a  Novena  to  St. 
Joseph.  Shortly  afterwards  I  heard  again  that  the 
sick  man’s  state  was  getting  worse,  but  that  my 
words  had  seemed  to  make  a  deep  impression  upon 
him;  ha  suffered  from  Violent  corvulsions  and  a 
burning  fever  that  deprived  him  of  all  rest  at  night 
and  left  him  no  peace.  All  these  alarming  symp¬ 
toms  suddenly  ceased  on  the  feast  of  St.  Joseph’ 
when  towards  evening  he  was  heard  to  exclaim: 

“  ‘  Oh,  priest !  thou  hast  done  for  me !  since  thy 
visit  I  can  find  no  peace  !’ 

“ 4  His  parents,  on  hearing  this,  endeavored  to 
quiet  him,  and  said  ; 


164  st.  Joseph’s  help. 

44 4  The  priest  has  but  done  his  duty,  and  sought 
to  do  you  good.  N^ver  has  a  member  of  our  family 
died  without  receiving  the  last  Sacraments.  Do 
you  want  to  be  the  first,  and  cause  that  greatest  of 
sorrows  to  your  parents?  To-day  is  the  feast  of 
St.  Joseph,  the  patron  and  protector  of  all  at  the 
hour  of  death ;  invoke  him  fervently  and  he  will 
give  you  peace.’ 

44  4  No  sooner  were  these  words  spoken  than  he 

said  s 

44  4  Ask  the  parish  priest  to  send  me  early  to  mor¬ 
row  morning  Father  Pietro  Casoni  (the  priest  of 
Berra,  a  neighboring  parish)  ;  I  will  make  my  con¬ 
fession  to  him,  and  then  you  must  try  and  be  at 
neace  with  me ;  who  knows  but  that  we  shall  all 
agree  aid  be  satisfied.’ 

44  4  Not  a  moment’s  delay  was  made  in  communi¬ 
cating  to  me  this  consoling  news,  although  it  was 
already  late  at  night.  The  next  morning  with  all 
speed  I  sent  word  to  Father  Pietro  Casoni  that  he 
was  wanted,  and  he,  full  of  zeal  for  the  salvation 
of  souls,  came  to  me  without  delay. 

4 u  Then  we  agreed  as  to  what  should  be  required 
from  the  young  man  in  order  that  his  conversion 
might  be  clearly  proved*  namely,  to  renounce  his 
error,  and  to  give  up  the  books  that  he  had  pub¬ 
lished  against  faith  and  religion.  He  refused  noth¬ 
ing  that  was  demanded  of  him,  but  rather  gave  in 
to  all  most  willingly  without  suggesting  any,  even 
the  least,  condition.  After  receiving  the  Holy  Sac¬ 
raments  he  never  ceased  expressing  his  satisfaction 
to  all  present,  shewing  himself  truly  penitent  for 
his  errors,  and  asking  pardon  of  all.  He  desired 


ST.  JOSEPHS  HELP. 


1G5 


also  to  see  me  again  to  retract  wh&t  he  had  said 
when  I  first  attempted  to  mention  the  subject  of 
his  conversion,  he  then  asked  me  to  send  him  a 
priest  who  would  stay  with  him  to  the  last.  I 
k’ssed  him  on  the  forehead  and  we  parted,  mutu¬ 
ally  happy  and  content. 

“ 4 1  sent  my  chaplain  to  assist  him,  and  every 
day,  even  several  times  a  day,  he  renewed  his  con¬ 
fession,  until  the  Friday  of  the  following  week, 
which  was  Good  Friday,  when  he  peacefully  gave 
up  his  soul  to  his  Creator,  about  seven  o’clock  in 
the  morning. 

“ 4 1  forgot  to  mention  that  on  Palm  Sunday,  on 
which  day  the  Paschal  time  time  begins,  he  desired 
that  Holy  Communion  should  be  brought  to  him  in 
a  very  solemn  and  public  manner,  that  he  might  en¬ 
deavor  thereby  to  mike  atonement  and  reparation 
for  the  scandal  he  had  given  by  his  impiety. 

tc  ‘  Such,  Reverend  Father,  is  the  exact  account  of 
the  illness,  conversion  and  death  of  the  person 
whose  history  you  have  asked  me  to  relate  to  you. 

“  ‘  Frahcesko  Pasini,  Archpriest. 

“‘Coloona,  July  27,  1828.’” 

12,  The  Ap'stolate  of  Prayer. 

In  the  hospital  of  the  Red  Cross  at  Lyons  there 
lived  an  old  soldier  who  professed  no  religion 
whatever— we  might  call  him  an  atheist  without 
being  far  wrong.  But  how  came  this  unfortunate 
man  to  be  so  utterly  incredulous  ?  Ala^,  it  was  the 
fruit  of  a  bad  education.  He  was  born  at  the  time 
of  the  French  Revolution,  when  people  were  so  in¬ 
sensate  as  to  try  to  do  away  with  the  worship  of 


166 


ST.  JOSEPH S  HELP. 


God ;  when  the  churches  were  shut  up  and  the 
priests  were  murdered  or  exiled.  Thus  the  poor 
man  had  grown  up  without  knowledge  of  religion ; 
indeed,  he  was  utterly  ignorant  of  the  truths  of 
faith.  He  had  been  a  soldier,  and  served  under 
Emperor  Napoleon  in  the  war  against  Spain,  during 
which  he,  like  most  of  his  fellow-soldiers,  became 
guilty  of  many  sacrileges,  having  robbed  and  dese¬ 
crated  the  churches  aid  committed  many  other 
crimes. 

Now,  he  could  not  bear  to  hear  mention  made  of 
a  priest,  or  of  a  confessor,  or  the  performance  of 
any  religious  duty,  and  he  had  an  especial  aversion 
to  members  of  any  religious  order. 

But  God  in  his  mercy  had  given  him  a  daughter 
who  was  exceedingly  good  and  pious.  This  loving 
child  had  for  a  long  time  been  secretly  sighing  and 
praying  for  her  unhappy  father,  whose  soul  was  in 
so  pitiful  a  state.  Not  a  day  passed  in  which  she 
did  not  beseech  Almighty  God  to  save  the  soul  of 
her  dear  parent,  and  bring  him  back  to  the  faith. 

In  her  humility  she  could  not  trust  to  the  efficacy 
of  her  own  prayers,  she  besought  all  the  pious  souls 
she  knew  to  unite  with  her  in  her  fervent  supplica¬ 
tions  for  the  conversion  of  her  father. 

One  day  a  devoted  client  of  St.  Joseph,  to  whom 
this  good  daughter  had  confided  her  trouble,  had 
the  goed  inspiration  to  send  several  little  books 
concerning  the  devotion  to  the  Seven  Joys  and 
Sorrows  of  St.  Joseph  to  the  Sisters  of  Mercy  who 
attended  the  hospital  in  which  the  old  sollier  was. 

This  charitable  soul  requested  that  they  would 
unite  in  the  devotion  of  the  Seven  Sundays  to  ob- 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


167 


tain  the  conversion  of  the  unhappy  father.  Mean¬ 
while  the  pious  daughter  redoubled  her  fervent 
supplications.  At  last  God  was  moved  by  her  per¬ 
severing  constancy.  The  man  who  formerly  was 
in  accessible  to  any  religious  influence  was  suddenly 
sof  ened.  The  grace  of  God  had  touched  him  and 
light  had  shone  in  his  soul. 

He  had  lived  forty-five  years  without  approach¬ 
ing  the  Sacraments.  Now  he  confessed  his  sins 
with  marks  of  great  contrition,  and  his  daughter 
bad  the  consolation  of  receiving  Holy  Communion 
with  him  on  the  Friday  in  Passion  Week,  1862, 

From  that  day  he  was  a  changed  man,  and  his 
daughter  never  ceased  extolling  the  power  and 
goodness  of  St.  Joseph. 

Learn  from  this  good  daughter,  my  dear  chil¬ 
dren,  to  pray  also  with  fervor  for  your  parents 
when  they  are  in  any  spiritual  or  temporal  need. 
The  love  you  owe  them  makes  this  a  duty  incum¬ 
bent  on  you. 


13.  Protection  in  the  Hour  of  Death. 

The  devotion  of  SK  Joseph,  the  foster-father  of 
our  Redeemer,  spreads  ever  more  and  more 
throughout  the  world.  It  is  as  if  this  humble 
saint  had  been  forced,  as  it  were,  to  step  out  of  his 
obscurity  to  reveal  to  all  Christians  the  greatne^  s 
of  his  intercessory  power. 

And  what  marvel  is  it  that  he  has  such  power? 
When  we  think  of  all  he  did  for  Jesus  during  his 
life  on  earth,  is  it  any  wonder  that  Jesus  attends 
now  to  his  prayers  ? 


168 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


The  incident  we  are  about  to  relate  is  only  one 
more  ©sample  to  prove  how  faithfully  St.  Joseph 
bestows  graces  on  his  clients. 

A  French  missionary  writes : 

u  I  was  riding  one  day  wearily  along  the 

sandy  banks  of  the  Senegal,  in  Africa,  on  a 
rout©  completely  unknown  to  me.  The  ser¬ 
pents  slid  away  hissing  into  the  grass,  the 

crocodiles  went  plunging  into  the  swamps,  the 
sun’s  burning  rays  poured  fiercely  down.  An  in¬ 
visible  power  seemed  to  urge  m©  forward.  At 
length  1  cam©  in  sight  of  a  hut.  1  dismounted, 
and  was  about  to  push  open  the  door,  when  a  voice 
from  within  cried  out  excitedly : 

44  4  Who’s  there  V 

“‘A  Father  Missioner,’  I  answered  $  4  don’t  be 
alarmed.  May  the  peace  of  God  rest  on  this  dwel¬ 
ling.’ 

44  4  A  priest!’  exclaimed  the  stranger,  in  good 
French.  4  You  are  most  welcome.  Lose  no  time, 
but  come  to  me  immediately.’ 

64  4  Who  are  you,  then  ?  and  how  do  you  come  to 
lie  here  V 

44  4  As  these  questions  can  wait,  my  Father,  let 
me  simply  tell  you  that  I  am  down  with  my  third 
attack  of  fever,  and  that  it  will  be  my  last,  as  you 
well  know.  Let  us  defer  talking  of  other  matters 
till  later.  I  will  answer  your  questions  should  I 
survive.  But  I  am  quite  prepared  for  confession, 
so  please,  Father,  let  us  begin  at  one©.’ 

44  As  he  spoke  I  heard  the  howl  of  some  jackals, 
allured  as  they  ever  are  by  the  scent  of  death.  I 
felt  convinced  by  their  approach  that  the  sick  man 


ST.  JOSEPHS  HELP. 


169 


had  not  long  to  live,  and  proceeded  to  administer 
the  last  Sacraments  without  delay. 

“  I  now  felt  persuaded  that  the  invisible  power 
that  had  urged  me  on  was  of  Almighty  Gsd,  and  in 
order  that  I  might  understand  His  ways  the  better, 
I  said  to  the  dying  man: 

“  ‘  You  must  certainly  have  prayed  very  earnestly 
that  God  would  send  you  a  priest,  for  evidently  it 
was  your  Guardian  Aogel  that  brought  me  here.” 

“  -  Would  you  like  to  know  how  it  came  to  pass  f 

“ 4  Certainly.’ 

“ 4 1  felt  sure  a  priest  would  come.’ 

tl 4  But  how  so,  nothing,  humanly  speaking,  was 
more  unlikely  than  that  one  would  come  into  this 
wild  desert  waste  of  Africa?’ 

“  1  Oh,  but  human  probability  had  nothing  to  do 
with  it.  I  always  wear  the  cord  ©f  St.  Joseph,  and 
I  belong  to  the  Confraternity  of  the  “  Bona  Mors.” 
You  see  my  conscience  was  in  a  bad  state,  so  St. 
Joseph  was  ob  iged  to  send  me  a  priest.  I  recom¬ 
mended  the  matter  to  him  most  earnestly,  and,  as 
you  can  bear  witness,  not  in  vain.’ 

“‘Now  all  is  clear  to  me,’  I  answered. 
‘  Keep  still  your  confidence  in  St.  Joseph. 
Death  is  approaching ;  but  death,  when  you  can  in¬ 
voke  the  holy  names  of  Jesus,  Mary  and  Joseph, 
only  ushers  you  into  their  presence.’ 

“The fever  raged  on,  and  within  two  hours  from 
the  time  I  entered  the  hut  the  man  was  dead.” 


170 


bt.  Joseph’s  help. 


14.  How  Sweet  it  is  to  Die  with  St.  Joseph  as  Oub 

Guardian. 

Mar  y  saints  have  said,  and  it  is  most  true,  that 
at  the  hour  of  death  our  Lord  shields  with  His 
special  protection  the  eoula  of  such  as  have  in  life 
shown  th@mse.vaa  compassionate  and  merciful,  and 
have  bestowed  protection  upon  Him,  in  the  persons 
of  His  poor,  suffering  members  in  that  hour  of 
extremity. 

Not  very  long  ago  a  retired  major  of  the  French 
army  died  without  any  agony,  under  the  guardian¬ 
ship  of  St.  Joseph,  after  a  long  and  painful  illness, 
which  he  had  borne  with  exemplary  patience. 

M.  Francois  F- — — ,  of  Annecy,  who  had  raised 
himself  foj  his  talents  to  the  rack  of  m»jor  in  the 
Savoy  ard  regiment,  had,  when  not  engaged  in  active 
warfare,  a  far  more  difficult  enemy  to  gain  the 
mastery  over  than  any  he  was  likely  to  meet  on  the 
field  of  battle.  His  own  eager  impetuous  nature 
was  a  thousand  times  more  dangerous  to  him,  and 
more  difficult  to  conquer,  than  any  mortal  foe. 
Therefore  it  was  that  Almighty  God,  Who  had  for 
him  special  designs  of  mercy,  vieked  him  with  & 
paralysis  that  necessitated  his  passing  ten  years  in 
an  arm-chair.  This  must  have  been  in  order  to 
oblige  this  officer,  naturally  so  active  and  energetic, 
to  lead  a  quiet  and  retired  life;  for  in  consequence 
of  hii  affliction  he  was  compelled  to  withdraw  from 
the  army.  He  then  toffs  up  his  residence  on  an 
estate  belonging  to  him,  which  was  situated  on  the 
basks  of  the  Lake  ©f  Annecy. 


BT.  J  SEPHS  HELP. 


171 


Here  he  divided  his  time  between  reading  good 
books  and  saying  his  Bosary,  In  order  to  pass  the 
time  away  he  used  to  get  his  servants  to  wheel  his 
chair  every  day  into  a  little  alcove  which  had  bsen 
made  close  to  the  principal  street  of  the  village, 
where  of  an  afternoon  he  often  sat  beneath  the 
shade  of  the  trees  to  receive  the  visits  of  his 
friends. 

On  one  side  of  this  spot  stood  a  beautiful  statue 
of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  and  on  the  other 
s’de  one  of  Our  Lidy’s  Virginal  Spouse,  St. 
J  sepb.  Here  be  would  frequently  read  the 
“Annals  of  the  Propagation,”  the  touching  in¬ 
cidents  recorded  in  which  often  brought  the  tears 
into  his  eyes. 

If  he  happened  to  see  a  weary  traveller  or  a 
peasant,  exhausted  with  his  labors,  passing  along 
the  road,  he  would  always  send  his  servant  to  bring 
them  some  refreshment. 

But  time  would  fail  to  recount  all  the  acts  of 
charity  which  love  for  his  neighbor  inspired  him  to 
fulfil.  So  let  it  suffice  to  say  that  despite  his  being 
possessed  of  a  military  outspokeness,  which  made 
it  impossible  for  him  ever  to  dissemble  or  refrain 
from  the  frank  expression  of  his  thoughts,  he  had 
not  a  single  enemy. 

To  compensate  this  excellent  man  for  his  many 
afflictions,  God  had  given  him  a  wife  who  was  a 
perfect  model  of  cheerful  self-denial  and  willing 
mortification,  and  a  daughter  who  was  moat 
amiable,  and  possessed  of  a  solid  piety.  These  two 
devoted  their  lives  to  nursing  him,  and  were  to  him 
like  consoling  angels ;  their  tender  and  exquisite 


172 


bt.  Joseph’s  help. 


1vV8  assuaged  bis  sorrows,  so  that  be  scarcely 
thought  of  bis  sufferings. 

It  is  to  his  daughter’s  pen  that  we  ow©  the 
following  account  of  his  last  moments : 

<?A1J  is  over ;  this  morning  my  dear  father  ren¬ 
dered  up  his  purified  soul  unto  God  after  thirty-five 
years  cf  exquisite  Buffering,  which  he  bore  with  ex¬ 
emplary  patience.  Shortly  before  hie  death  he  said 
to  mo: 

“  ‘  It  seems  as  if  St.  Joseph  would  have  me  wait 
for  his  month  before  eallit  g  me  hence.  Well,  it  is 
a  long  time,  but  God’s  will  be  don©.’ 

61  Seeing  tbit  death  was  rapidly  approaching,  I 
said  to  turn : 

“ ‘  Bear  father,  I  think  that  St.  Joseph,  loving 
you  bo  vfry  much  as  he  does,  wishes  to  have  you 
with  him  sooner  than  that.’ 

“  At  this  his  face  Sit  up  with  an  expression  of  in¬ 
describable  joy,  and  he  exclaimed: 

“ ‘  Oh,  my  child,  if  only  it  may  be  so  ;  if  only 
God  will  graciously  hear  our  prayers  that  it  may 
be  so.1 

“  He  requested  once  again  to  receive  Holy  Com¬ 
munion.  He  then  asked  me  to  place  a  picture  of 
St.  Joseph  at  the  foot  of  his  bed,  so  that  be  might 
have  it  constantly  before  his  eyes.  A  few  hours 
before  his  death  ho  desired  to  go  to  confession,  in 
order  to  gain  the  indulgence  of  the  confraternity 
of  the  ‘Bona  Mors.’ 

“ ‘ My  child,’ he  said  to  me,  ‘I  am  now  in  the 
death  struggle ;  I  can  no  longer  pray  for  myself. 
Bo  you  pray  for  me.’ 

“  We  all  knelt  around  his  bed 


and  prayed  for 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


173 


some  time*  and  seeing  that  his  dying  eyes  still 
sought  to  look  at  the  picture  of  St.  Joseph,  I  held 
it  nearer  to  him. 

‘‘With  his  Crucifix  in  ore  hand,  and  his  Rosary 
of  Oar  Lady  of  Lourdes  in  the  other,  he  continued 
to  make  the  sign  of  the  Cross  from  time  to  time, 
and  then,  with  one  last  look  at  St.  Joseph,  he 
gr-ntly  breathed  his  last.  His  fmo  became  quite 
transformed,  his  features  expressed  such  peace  of 
soul  as  it  is  impossible  to  describe. 

u  Our  Lady  obtained  for  him  the  grace  to  di 
on  a  Saturday  to  reward  him  for  the  many  Rosaries  he 
had  said  in  her  honor  during  his  long  sleepless  nights. 

15,  CONVER  ION  OF  A  GREAT  SlNNER  THROUGH  THE 

Intercession  of  St.  Joseph. 

A  Sister  of  Charity,  who  places  all  her  confidence 
in  St.  Joseph,  has  communicated  the  following 
account  to  us.  It  will  serve  as  on©  more  proof  of 
the  salvation  of  a  soul,  the  care  of  which  wa  have 
committed  to  Mary  and  Joseph : 

A  lady,  who  not  only  lost  the  faith,  but  who 
prided  herself  upon  being  an  atheist,  and  who 
seemed  to  delight  in  uttering  the  most  frightful 
blasphemies  against  God,  His  priests,  and  the 
Church  at  large,  was  at  length  attacked  at  by  a  severe 
and  dangerous  illness,  and  lay  s;ck  for  a  long  time. 
Only  the  year  before  she  was  seized  with  this  ill¬ 
ness,  she  dismissed  a  person  from  her  house  merely 
because  she  ventured  to  suggest  that  sh©  should 
provide  that  her  niece,  who  was  dying  of  cholera, 
might  receive  the  last  Sacraments. 

Yet,  notwithstanding  the  malignity  of  her  per- 


174 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


varsity,  Almighty  God  looked  upon  this  unfortunate 
soul  with  an  ey©  of  pity  and  compassion ;  and  He 
permitted  that  a  train  of  circumstances  should 
wonderfully  unit©  to  bring  about  the  conversion  of 
this  hardened  sinner. 

In  the  first  place,  she  became  acquainted  almost 
accidentally  with  a  lady  called  Philomena,  who 
was,  although  the  invalid  was  unaware  of  it,  a 
devoted  client  of  St.  Joseph.  But  what  could  be 
effected  in  such  a  case  of  openly  professed  un¬ 
belief  and  impiety  ?  Nothing  could  be  done,  in  the 
first  instance,  but  to  pray  to  St.  Joseph,  and  to 
place  unbounded  confidence  In  his  paternal  care 
and  pity,  and  in  this  verily  lies  the  art  o!  working 
miracles. 

But  Philomena  not  only  prayed  ;  she  was  assidu¬ 
ous  in  paying  visits  to  the  sick  lady,  and  not  less 
assiduous  in  endeavoring,  by  the  help  of  St.  Joseph, 
to  season  her  conversations  with  wisdom,  and  to 
lose  no  opportunity  of  introducing  subjects  calcu¬ 
lated  to  lead  to  the  conversion  she  had  so  much  at 
heart. 

“Prayer!”  ejaculated  the  invalid  one  day,  “do 
not  talk  to  me  of  prayer !  I  know  no  longer  what 
it  is  to  pray.  Why,  I  do  not  remember  a  single 
word  of  the  prayers  I  learned  when  I  was  young.” 

“  Then,  my  dear  friend,”  interposed  Philomena, 
“  suppose  you  b?gin  to  learn  some  new  ones  now 
you  are  old.  Join  m©  in  saying  a  beautiful  little 
prayer,  which  we  will  offer  for  the  recovery  of  your 
health,”  aid  she  began  to  recite  the  “Memorare.” 

She  was  immediately  interrupted  by  an  exclama¬ 
tion  of : 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


175 


1 '•  Ob,  I  remember  often  having  said  that  when  a 
child! ’and  the  lady  joined  with  her  lips,  if  not 
with  her  heart,  in  all  the  words  of  that  efficacious 
prayer. 

This  was  a  great  step  gained,  and  Philomena  re¬ 
doubled  the  fervor  of  her  intercessions,  and  that 
with  increased  confidence.  But  the  alarming  na 
ture  of  the  illness  increased  also  daily.  At  last, 
one  day,  with  fear  and  trembling,  this  true  friend 
broached  the  subject  of  confession,  and  this  elicited 
at  once  a  scene  of  violence.  The  invalid  stormed 
vehemently  against  the  very  idea  of  such  a  thing, 
and  protested  again  and  again  il  that  never,  never, 
never  should  a  priest  gain  admittance  into  her 
house.” 

What  was  to  be  done  ? 

Oh,  good  St.  Joseph!  Is  all  our  confidence  in 
you  to  prove  in  vain !  Will  you  for  the  first  time 
turn  a  deaf  ear  to  our  supplications?  But  no; 
that  can  never  come  to  pass.  We  must  pray  harder, 
and  instead  of  letting  discouragement  cause  us 
to  relax  our  efforts  we  must  set  to  work  more 
vigorously  than  ever. 

The  next  time  Philomena  called  she  brought 
with  her  a  pretty  picture  of  St.  Joseph,  the  patron 
of  the  dying,  and  as  she  presented  it  to  her  friend, 
she  said : 

<e  See,  you  are  suffering  so  much ,  you  should 
fasten  this  picture  to  your  bed  and  you  will  be  sure 
to  obtain  relief  if  you  will  say  for  nine  days,  6  St. 
Joseph,  pray  for  me.’” 

To  Philomena’s  great  delight,  the  invalid  readily 
agreed  to  do  this,  and  in  her  joy  at  beholding  her 


176 


bt.  Joseph’s  help. 


cnca  more  about  to  pray,  she  could  not  but  believe 
that  her  conversion  must  be  near  at  hand.  This 
kind  friend  then  went  at  once  to  an  institution  for 
children,  which  was  dedicated  to  St.  Joseph,  and  ob¬ 
tained  that  a  Noveca  should  be  mad©  for  the  sick  lady. 

But  what  was  to  be  don©  about  confession  ?  She 
felt  it  perfectly  impossible  that  she  could  ever 
again  approach  the  subject  to  her  after  the  hot  out¬ 
burst  of  indignation  it  had  before  elicited. 

“St.  Joseph,  I  leave  that  to  you,”  she  said.  “  I 
can  venture  nothing  further  in  that  matter.” 

Meanwhile  the  Havana  was  commenced  by  the 
children,  and  the  invalid  was  as  good  as  her  word, 
she  daily  Invoked  St.  Joseph,  and  when  she  was 
well  enough  she  said  the  prayer  which  was  printed 
under  the  picture. 

Now  came  the  second  link  in  the  chain  of  Provi¬ 
dence.  A  good  woman  from  Brittany  was  sent  for 
to  nurse  and  give  some  special  assistance  that  was 
required,  and  this  good  creature,  devoid  of  all  edu¬ 
cation  or  learning,  but  full  of  faith  and  unfeigned 
simplicity,  was  the  instrument  chosen  by  St.  Joseph 
for  the  carrying  out  of  his  designs. 

By  degrees  she  began  quit©  naturally  to  speak  to 
her  patient  of  the  Sacrament  of  Penance,  saying 
how  happy  she  would  be  when  she  had  made  a 
good  confession,  and  lamenting  over  the  wicked 
ness  of  those  poor  people  who  hate  the  priests 
without  knowing  anything  about  them.  At  last 
ske  begged  the  lady  to  allow  a  priest  to  come 
and  see  her. 

The  lady  seemed  almost  to  hesitate,  but  the  evil 
spirit  did  not  fail  to  put  an  obstacle  in  the  way. 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


177 


“  What  would  people  say,”  she  said,  “  to  see  a 
priest  coming  to  visit  me  after  my  having  declared 
for  so  many  years  that  a  religious  man  should 
never  cross  my  threshold  ?  v 

But  the  good  Bretonne  answered  in  her  candid 
simplicity : 

“  The  neighbors  will  only  say,  u  Well  this 
lady  has  at  least  too  good  a  heart  to  die  like  a 
dog!’” 

The  last  day  of  the  Novena  had  dawned,  Philo- 
mena  was  directing  her  steps  towards  the  house  of 
the  invalid,  turning  over  in  her  mind  one  last  effort 
she  would  try  to  make,  when  suddenly  she  met  the 
sick-nurse  on  her  way  to  tell  her  the  joyful  tidings, 
that  the  patient  had  herself  asked  for  a  priest,  and 
had  received  all  the  last  Sacraments  with  wonder¬ 
ful  devotion. 

At  first  Philomena,  thought  it  must  be  a  dream ; 
then  she  flew  to  the  bedside  of  her  friend,  who  em¬ 
braced  her  whilst  shedding  floods  of  tears. 

“  Oh,  how  miserable  I  have  been !”  she  exclaimed ; 
“I  maintained  that  there  was  no  God  who  governs 
us  all,  and  now  this  good  God,  whom  I  have  so  en¬ 
tirely  forgotten  and  neglected,  and  so  grievously 
offended,  forgives  me  everything.  What  a  grace ! 
and  dear  St.  Joseph,  whose  picture  I  treasure,  has 
obtained  it  for  me.  I  was  so  impious,  so  unbelieving. 
Oh!  that  I  could  prolong  my  life  that  I  might 
make  reparation  for  the  past,  but  God  in  His  mercy 
will  arrange  it  all.” 

Two  days  later  she  yielded  up  her  soul  into  the 
hands  of  Him  who,  by  the  intercession  of  St. 
Joseph,  had  dealt  so  mercifully  with  her. 


178 


ST.  Joseph’s  help. 

The  children  who  had  made  the  Novena  were  so 
overjoyed  at  the  news  of  this  conversion,  which  was 
nothing  short  of  a  miracle  of  grace,  that,  in  their 
gratitude,  they  began  at  once  another  Novena  of 
Thanksgiving  to  St.  Joseph.  This  is  the  real  way 
to  obtain  fresh  favors. 


16.  St.  Joseph  Softens  a  Hard  Heart. 

In  the  year  1876  Mr.  N — — ,  of  Marseilles,  be¬ 
came  dangerously  ill,  the  anxiety  of  his  relations 
was  very  great,  not  only  on  account  of  his  great 
age  of  over  eighty- two  years',  which  left  little  hope 
of  any  but  a  fatal  termination  to  his  illness,  but 
also  because  h©  had  lived  for  the  last  sixty  years 
without  any  professions  of  religion,  and  in  open 
and  persistent  neglect  of  all  the  practices  enjoiied 
by  Holy  Church. 

How  much  and  how  frequently  his  family  prayed 
for  the  beloved,  but  unhappy  man,  no  one  can  ever 
tell.  How  many  tears  were  shed  oyer  him  by  his 
wife  and  children,  who  alike  deplored  his  delusion  ; 
but  all  in  vain. 

Meanwhile  his  pious  wife  had  died,  without  hav¬ 
ing  had  the  consolation  of  witnessing  his  conver¬ 
sion  and  shortly  after  her  death  his  eldest  daugh¬ 
ter,  who  had  an  especially  tender  love  for  her 
father,  entered  a  religious  order,  in  obedience  to  an 
interior  inspiration,  which  moved  her  to  offer  her¬ 
self  as  a  living  sacrifice  to  Almighty  God,  hoping 
by  this  means  to  obtain  for  her  beloved  parent  the 
grace  of  conversion. 

It  was  but  a  few  months  after  she  had  entered 


ST.  JOSEPH  S  HELP. 


179 


the  convent,  and  whilst  she  was,  as  a  fervent 
novice,  devoting  herself  to  the  duties  of  he r  voca¬ 
tion,  that  her  father  was  seized  with  this  alarming 
illness. 

His  friends,  as  well  as  his  relations,  tried  ©very 
means  they  could  think  of  to  persuade  him  to  seek 
reconciliation  with  God,  but  in  vain. 

“  Let  me  alone,”  he  always  replied;  “  I  will  have 
nothing  to  do  with  a  religion  that  has  deprived  m© 
of  my  dearest  daughter.” 

To  everyone’s  astonishment  he  rallied  and  re¬ 
covered  from  his  first  attack,  but  he  only  continued 
to  lead,  as  before,  a  life  of  utter  worldliness  and 
estrangement  from  God. 

Soon,  however,  the  hand  of  th©  Lord  again  struck 
him  down,  and  towards  the  end  of  February  a 
severe  relapse  into  the  same  illness  caused  the 
greatest  apprehensions  to  ba  entertained  for  his  life. 

An  excellent  priest  was  summoned  and  brought 
to  his  bedside  by  his  sorrowful  and  anxious  rela¬ 
tions,  but  the  sick  man  would  enter  into  no  con¬ 
versation  with  him  and  he  had  to  leave  without 
having  accomplished  any  good,  and  when  a  few 
days  later  he  attempted  to  renew  his  vi&it,  he  was 
flatly  refused  admittance. 

At  these  distressing  occurrences  the  anxiety  of 
his  children  became  greater  than  ever,  each  of  them 
tried  to  storm  the  hard  heart  and  soften  their 
father  by  their  love  and  tears,  but  all  vere  equally 
unsuccessful. 

One  day  his  second  daughter,  who  was  married, 
said  to  him : 

“  Oh,  my  dear  father,  you  know  how  much  we  all 


180 


ST.  Joseph's  help. 


love  you  and  how  grateful  we  are  for  all  the  good 
things  we  have  received  from  you  during  the  course 
of  our  lives,  but  equally  great  is  our  distress  now 
at  your  refusing  ©very  consolation  of  our  holy  re¬ 
ligion.  We  all  hope  on©  day  to  enter  heaven, 
where  our  dear  mother  already  awaits  us ;  will  you 
alone  separate  yourself  from  us  for  all  eternity ! 
Ob,  no,  dear  father;  you  surely  will  not,  cannot  dj 
go!” 

But  the  dying  man  remained  obdurate  and  hard¬ 
ened,  every  appeal  was  unavailing.  The  parish 
priest  cam  a  and  spok©  to  him  of  the  love  and  mercy 
of  the  Crucified,  but  when  ha  held  the  crucifix  be¬ 
fore  him  Mr.  N—  pushed  it  aside  with  violence. 
There  seemed  no  hope,  but  in  prayer.  Day  and 
night  intercession  was  made  for  his  conversion. 
St.  Joseph,  the  great  patron  of  the  dying,  was  es¬ 
pecially  invoked,  and  a  vow  was  offered  in  case  he 
should  grant  their  prayer. 

In  order  to  leave  no  stone  unturned,  and  nothing 
undone  that  could  possibly  soften  the  hard  heart, 
the  thought  occurred  to  them  to  obtain  permission 
that  the  eldest  daughter  might  be  allowed  to  come 
and  assist  her  father  in  his  last  moments. 

The  leave  of  her  ecclesiastical  superiors  was 
sought  and  obtained,  so  the  young  novice,  in  holy 
obedience,  left  her  cloister  at  once,  and  the  next 
morning  humbly  and  quietly  took  her  place  at  the 
bedside  of  her  dying  parent. 

Astonished  and  surprised,  he  at  first  regarded 
her  with  a  look  of  cold  indifference,  but  by  and  by 
it  changed  and  softened  into  a  look  of  loving  Bor¬ 
row.  The  hard  heart  could  not  withstand  the  mild. 


ST.  JOSEPH’S  HELP. 


181 


entreating  looks  and  words  of  on©  whose  love  for 
him  had  caused  her  to  offer  up  her  life  in  sacrifice 

for  him. 

Grace  at  last  triumphed  completely !  His  deter¬ 
mined  resistance  broke  down  before  the  force  of 
this  great  love.  A  few  hours  later  and  he  who  had 
bo  recently  scoffed  at  the  very  mention  of  prayer, 
joyfully  acceded  to  the  proposal  that  the  Rosary 
should  he  recited  at  his  bedside. 

All  bis  children  and  every  member  of  the  house¬ 
hold  joined  in  praying  and  conjuring  the  Spouse 
of  Mary  to  accomplish  his  work  to  the  end.  For 
all  felt  that  this  had  been  brought  about  through 
the  Intercession  of  St.  Joseph. 

The  Rosary  finished,  the  good  priest  was  again 
summoned,  and  this  time  his  offers  were  willingly 
and  gratefully  accepted. 

They  lefo  him  alone  with  the  dying  man, 
who,  with  ©very  mark  of  true  contrition,  made 
a  humble  confession  of  his  whole  life,  and 
with  touching  devotion  received  the  Sacra¬ 
ment  of  Extreme  Unction.  Holy  Communion 
h©  was  not  able  to  receive,  as  he  was  unable  to 
swallow.  He  lingered  still  for  some  days  in  un¬ 
speakable  suffering,  which  he  bore  not  only  with 
patience,  but  also  with  gratitude. 

“Oh,  but  I  am.  happy  now,”  he  used  to  say, 
even  when  the  pain  wm  at  it  height,  “  very  happy.” 
And  as  often  aa  the  priest  held  the  Crucifix  before 
him,  ha  would  press  it  with  joyful  love  to  his  poor 
white  lips,  with  the  hands  which,  only  a  few  days 
before,  had  thrust  it  from  him. 

It  had  now  come  to  the  25th  of  March,  the  feast 


182 


ST.  JOSEPH'S  HELP. 


of  the  Annunciation,  and  about  midnight,  as  his 
children  were  all  kneeling  around  his  bed,  the  old 
man  entered  upon  his  agony.  Once  more  he  turned 
his  eyes,  already  dim,  upon  the  Crucifix  and  then 
upon  his  kneeling  children,  as  if  tJ  sjy  farewell, 
and  then  his  spirit  sped  into  the  presence  of  his 
Creator. 

His  children  at  length  arose  from  their  knees, 
with  hearts  full  of  consolation  and  overflowing  with 
gratitude  to  St.  Joseph  for  the  miracle  of  love  that 
he  had  wrought  in  obtaining  for  their  father  so 
happy  a  death. 

In  cor  elusion  let  me  say,  i?  you  wish  to  afford 
a  special  pleasure  to  St.  Joseph  ask  him  by 
prayer  to  help  you  to  pluck  out  and  destroy  the 
very  roots  of  sin  from  your  heart,  and  if,  as  may  be 
the  case,  you  have  some  one  on  earth  who  is  dear 
to  you,  raid  for  whom  you  have  already  prayed  for 
a  long,  long  time,  that  he  might  turn  from  the 
path  of  sin,  and  as  yet  seemingly  til  in  vain,  do 
not  be  discouraged.  Go  with  confilenca  to  St. 
Joseph ;  he  knows  what  it  is  to  lose  God. 

He  once  lost  his  Foster-Child,  the  Bon  of  God, 
and  sought  for  him  for  tin  ee  days  with  unspeak¬ 
able  anguish  of  heart.  And  so  he  ever  has  com¬ 
passion  upon  these  secret  griefs,  and  understands 
and  sympathizes  with  them. 

Call  upon  him  urgently  then  to  help  you  to  seek 
the  soul  that  is  lost  to  you,  as  he  sought  for  the 
Holy  Child  Jesus  as  indefatigably,  as  steadfastly, 
so  that  you  may  find  it  to  all  eternity  happy  in 
heaven. 


ST.  JOSEPH'S  HELP. 


183 


The  following  occurrence  is  one  more  evidence  of 
the  fact  that  St.  Joseph  may  truly  be  called  the 
Patron  of  the  Dying. 

The  priest  of  the  parish  of  Notre  Dame  in 
Munster,  Westphalia,  was  called  one  night  to  go  to 
a  man  who  was  dying.  The  house  in  which  the 
sick  man  lay  was  clearly  described  to  him,  and  he 
hastened  thither  with  ail  speed.  But  the  inmates 
of  the  house  seemed  all  wrapped  in  profound 
slumber.  He  rang  and  rang  the  bell,  and  at  length 
the  door  was  cpaned,  but  in  answer  to  his  request 
to  be  led  to  the  sick  man  who  had  sent  for  him,  he 
was  told  that  there  was  no  on©  ill  in  that  house,  it 
must  be  some  mistake. 

The  priest  could  only  shake  his  head  and  go  on 
again  wonderingly.  Scarcely  had  he  reached  his 
house  before  he  was  again  summoned,  and  by  the 
same  man,  to  go  to  the  same  house. 

“  But  I  have  but  this  moment  returned  from  that 
house,”  said  the  priest,  “  and  they  say  there  is  no 
sick  person  there.” 

u  And  notwithstanding  what  thev  said,  there  is,” 
replied  the  unknown  ;  “  an  old  man  is  dyiog  in  a 
room  quite  at  the  top  of  the  house.” 

The  priest  at  once  retraced  his  steps,  and  when 
he  came  to  the  house  he  asked  the  man  who  opened 
the  door  if  there  was  not  some  one  living  in  the 
attic  under  the  roof. 

“  Yes,”  he  answered,  “  an  old  man  lives  up  there  ; 
but  I  am  not  aware  that  he  is  ill,  he  has  always  ap¬ 
peared  in  very  good  health.” 

The  priest  asked  to  be  allowed  to  go  up  and  see 
him.  And  he  found  the  old  man  ill,  very  ill,  and 


184 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


nearly  djirg.  But  he  had  always  besought  St. 
Joseph  to  be  near  him,  in  his  last  conflict ;  and  he 
had  not  asked  in  vain.  He  was  able  now  to  re¬ 
ceive  all  the  last  Sacraments,  and  before  morning 
he  was  dead. 

Who  was  the  man  who  had  twice  called  the 
priest  ? 

18.  The  Picture  of  St.  Joseph’s  Death, 

In  the  large  and  populous  town  of  X- - lived 

a  rich  gentleman,  who  had  spent  the  greater  part 
part  of  his  life  in  pursuit  of  the  pleasures  and  luxu¬ 
ries  of  this  world,  without  religion  or  thought  for 
God. 

But  now  when  old,  a  grievous  and  lingering 
disease  had  laid  hold  of  him.  He  had  been 
baptized  and  brought  up  as  a  Catholic,  but  it 
was  in  vain  that  his  pious  wife,  or  the  ven¬ 
erable  priest  whom  she  had  called  to  her  as¬ 
sistance,  pleaded  with  him  to  return  to  his 
duties.  He  only  laughed  at  them,  and  all  their  en¬ 
deavors  were  ineffectual,  to  soften  the  hard  and 
flinty  heart  of  the  poor  sinner. 

One  day  a  young  and  very  simply-dressed  woman 
came  to  the  house,  bringing  with  her  a  picture 
which  she  wished  to  sell.  She  told  them  that  her 
husband  was  an  artist,  but  that  for  some  months 
past  he  had  been  obiiged  to  gwa  up  painting,  since 
he  was  suffering  from  an  affection  of  the  nerves 
which  rendered  him  unable  to  pursue  his  art.  This 
calamity  had  reduced  their  circumstances  to  such 
an  extent  that  they  felt  obliged  to  try  to  sell  the 
picture  she  had  brought,  which  nothing  but  so 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


185 


great  a  misfortune  would  have  induced  them  to 
part  with. 

She  further  added  that  she  came  to  offer  it  first 

to  Mr.  N- - ,  because  they  had  heard  that  he  was 

a  great  connoisseur,  and  rich. 

At  these  words,  she  uncovered  the  picture,  and 
behold,  it  was  St,  Joseph  lying  on  his  death-bed, 
and  beside  him  the  Blessed  Virgin,  his  Spouse,  and 
her  Divine  Son ! 

It  was  exquisitely  delineated,  and  Mr.  N- - and 

his  wife  were  equally  charmed  with  the  painting. 

They  soon  agreed  about  the  price,  and  Mr.  N— - 
had  the  picture  hung  up  on  the  wall  opposite  his 
bed,  that  ho  might  delight  his  eyes  with  the  con¬ 
templation  of  the  beautiful  representation  of  the 
holy  scene.  And  as  his  eyes  constantly  rested  upon 
what  was  so  touchingly  portrayed,  it  seemed  as  if 
his  heart  opened  to  divine  grace  and  softened  more 
and  more. 

Only  the  next  day  he  said  to  his  wife  : 

u  I  have  a  presentiment  that  my  end  is  approach¬ 
ing— if  only  I  could  die  like  St.  Joseph,  with  Jesus 
and  Mary  beside  me.” 

His  wife  endeavored  to  suppress  her  weeping  as 
she  replied :  ^ 

“  Oh,  Victorin,  receive  the  Holy  Sacraments,  and 
then  death,  which  I  pray  God  may  not  come  to  you 
yet  for  many  years,  would  become  easy,  nay,  sweet 
to  you,  through  the  intercession  of  the  holy  ones 
you  see  in  that  picture.” 

“  Do  you  really  think  so,  Anna  ?”  began  the  sick 
man,  dubiously.  “  St.  Joseph  can  know  nothing 
about  rancor  and  ill-will.  What  would  he  have  to 


186 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


say  to  me  when  I  have  banished  our  only  son  Fer¬ 
dinand  from  my  home  and  from  my  heart  since 
he  offended  me  by  his  marriage?  When  that 
poor  painter’s  wife  brought  the  picture  to  be 
sold  the  other  day,  I  could  not  help  thinking  to 
myself,  my  son  Ferdinand  also  is  a  painter;  per¬ 
haps  he  also  may  be  in  distress  or  poverty,  but  he 
finds  no  assistance  or  help  from  me.  For  years  past 
I  have  left  his  letters  unopened  and  unanswered.” 

“Thy  son  Ferdinand,”  rejoined  his  wde,  with 
difficulty  forcing  back  her  tears,  “has  been  for  the 
last  fortnight  living  in  this  town ;  he  has  been  in 
great  poverty  and  distress,  but  he  has  refused  to 
accept  any  assistance  from  me,  since  I  could 
not  give  it  without  keeping  you  in  ig¬ 
norance  of  it.  The  price,  however,  which  his 
wife  received  from  you  for  his  picture  has  pre¬ 
served  ihem  from  destitution.” 

“  What  I  ”  exclaimed  Yictorin,  “  my  son  here,  in 
this  veiy  town !  And  that  was  his  wife  whom  I 
saw.  Oh,  my  God !  I  thank  Thee  I  ”  he  added  in  a 
trembling  voice. 

“Shall  I  then  send  to  fetch  our  son?  ”  exclaimed 
his  wife  instantly. 

“Do  so,  Anna,”  replied  her  husband,  “  and  tell 
him  that  his  father’s  heart  is  longing  after  a  recon¬ 
ciliation  with  him,  and  that  I  wish  to  learn  to  know 
his  wife.  But  bid  them  not  to  come  till  to-mor¬ 
row,  for  first,  before  all  else,  I  must  seek  to 
make  my  peace  with  God.  I  can  offer  my  Re¬ 
deemer  my  broken  and  contrite  heart,  and  endeavor 
to  obtain  the  expiation  of  my  sins  by  a  penitent 
confession  and  fervent  Communion.” 


bt.  Joseph's  help. 


187 


He  received  the  last  Sacraments  with  earnest  de¬ 
votion  that  day* 

And  on  the  morrow  the  meeting  of  reconciliation 
took  place  between  the  parents  and  the  son  they 
had  not  seen  for  so  many  years.  No  words  can  de¬ 
scribe  what  it  at  meeting  was,  nor  the  introduction 
of  the  wife  and  children,  unknown  till  now. 

6i  My  son,”  said  Yictorin,  with  tears  in  his  eyes, 
u  it  is  to  your  rare  genius  that  I  owe  both  my  re¬ 
conciliation  to  God,  to  you  and  your  family.” 

“  Do  not  say  that,  dear  father,”  broke  in  Ferdi¬ 
nand,  a  after  God,  we  owe  all  the  happiness  of  this 
hour  to  St.  Joseph.  To  his  protection  and  inter¬ 
cession  I  have  every  day  committed  myself,  my 
parents,  my  wife  and  children  and  the  success 
of  the  feeble  efforts  of  my  pencil.” 

A  few  days  later  and  Yictorin,  surrounded  by  his 
wife>  his  son  and  all  his  family,  departed  this  life. 
With  his  last  breath,  he  uttered  the  holy  names  of 
“  Jesus,  Mary,  Joseph.” 

Y.— ST.  JOSEPH  OUR  HELPER  IN  EVERY 
VARIETY  OF  NECESSITY. 


1.  Venerate  St.  Joseph  if  You  Wish  to  Die 

Happily. 

A  Yene'ian  merchant  had  the  habit  of  daily  visit¬ 
ing  an  image  of  St.  Joseph  which  stood  in  a  niche 
at  the  corner  of  one  of  the  streets  of  the  town  in 
which  he  lived. 

Falling  sick  of  a  dangerous  illness,  which  scon 
brought  him  to  the  brink  of  the  grave,  St.  Joseph 
appeared  to  him  as  his  last  moments  approached. 


188 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


At  the  eight  of  the  saint,  towards  whom  he  had 
ever  been  so  devout,  the  sick  man  was  filled  with 
consolation,  but,  above  all,  his  conscieLce  became  so 
enlightened,  that  in  an  instant  he  seemed  to  per¬ 
ceive  clearly  all  the  sins  of  his  past  life,  and  in  their 
heinousc  ess  and  guilt ;  while  at  the  same  time  he 
felt  a  new  and  exceeding  great  contrition,  together 
with  the  sweetest  hope  of  pardon. 

As  a  priest  was  present  with  him,  he  made  a 
fresh  and  fervent  confession,  and  having  received 
absolution,  full  of  peace  and  joy,  piously  expired 
in  our  Lord. 

2.  Mary  and  Joseph. 

The  venerable  servant  of  God,  Alexis  of  Vigeva- 
no,  a  Capuchin,  ended  his  meritorious  life  with  a 
death  full  of  sweetness. 

A  few  mnn^nts  before  his  departure  he  asked 
one  of  the  Brothers  to  light  some  candles.  They 
were  astonished  at  his  request,  and  wanted  to  know 
the  reason  of  it. 

“  Our  dear  Lady©  is  coming  presently  with  her 
Spouse,  and  therefore  it  is  fitting  to  light  candles, 
that  they  may  both  be  received  with  the  greatest 
reverence.” 

Soon  they  perceived  that  the  visit  he  had  pre¬ 
dicted  had  already  come  to  pass,  for  the  dying 
Father  exclaimed,  radiant  with  joy: 

“There  comes  the  Queen  of  Heaven  I  There 
comes  St.  Joseph !  Kneel  down,  my  brethren,  to 
receive  them  reverently.” 

But  he  was  now  to  reap  the  fruits  of  this  heavenly 
visitation,  for  at  the  same  moment,  in  the  presence 


et.  j:seph’s  help. 


189 


of  Mary  and  Joseph,  he  breathed  out  his  soul  into 
their  hands. 

It  was  the  19th  of  March,  the  day  of  triumph 
for  St.  Joseph,  who  visited  this  good  religious  on 
his  feast  day,  to  reward  him  for  the  loving  devo¬ 
tion  he  had  always  shown  to  him. 

3.  St.  Joseph,  Teacher  of  Prayer. 

Prayer  and  meditation  are  the  food  of  interior 
life.  Therefore  we  shouM  beseech  St.  Joseph  that 
he  may  obtain  for  us  the  grace  to  be  very  faithful 
in  these  two  practices,  and  that  we  may  perform 
them  in  a  right  manner. 

Saint  Teresa  says  : 

“  Let  him  who  needs  a  guide  to  lead  him  on  in 
the  way  of  prayer  and  meditation  take  Sh  Joseph 
as  a  master,  for  he  will  show  him  the  right  path, 
and  safely  conduct  him  to  a  good  termination.” 

Father  Barry  relates: 

“A  religious  desired  once,  as  she  herself  con¬ 
fessed  to  me,  to  be  freed  from  her  distractions  in 
prayer.  In  order  to  obtain  this  grace,  she  felt  her¬ 
self  inspired  to  have  recourse  to  St.  Joseph.  She 
did  so  with  great  devotion,  and  the  gift  of  prayer 
was  bestowed  on  her  in  high  measure.” 

4.  Father  Picot  de  Clorivxere. 

This  saintly  priest  was  a  member  of  the  congre¬ 
gation  of  the  Sacred  Heart  in  the  time  of  the  terri¬ 
ble  French  Revolution.  It  seems  that  he  had  ob¬ 
tained  from  St.  Joseph  the  grace  of  an  ever-increas¬ 
ing  love  to  the  most  Holy  Sacrament  of  the  Altar. 
Against  all  expectation,  he  was  ordained  priest ;  but 


190 


ET.  JOSEPH  S  HELP. 


he  had  so  great  aa  impediment  in  his  speech,  that 
he  would  have  been  unable  to  give  himself  to  the 
apostolic  labors  if  he  had  not  been  cured  of  this 
defect  in  a  miraculous  manner.  Then  he  preached 
in  many  churches,  and  as  his  only  reward,  he  de- 
drcd  to  obtain  through  the  intercession  of  Sfc. 
Joseph  from  God  the  grace  to  die  at  the  foot  of 
the  Altar  in  adoration  of  the  most  Holy  Sacrament, 
without  being  a  burden  to  any  one.  St.  Joseph, 
who  is  so  powerful  over  the  Heart  of  Jfsus,  cer¬ 
tainly  pleaded  for  the  request  of  his  client.  For 
one  Sunday,  when,  as  usual,  Father  Picct  da  Clori- 
vi&re  went  the  chapel  in  order  to  pay  a 
visit  to  our  Lord  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  he 
knelt  down,  and  as  his  weakness  did  not  allow  of 
his  kneeling  upri  >ht  without  support,  he  leaned 
hie  elbow  on  a  railing  which  separated  the  sanc¬ 
tuary  from  the  church.  Then  he  began  to  pray ; 
but  his  soul  followed  his  prayer,  and  ascended  also 
on  high  before  the  throne  of  God.  One  of  the 
Fathers,  who  had  just  before  heard  his  confession 
and  given  him  absolution,  was  witness  of  this  holy 
death.  He  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years. 

5.  St.  Joseph  a  Guide  on  the  Road. 

A  pious  lay  brother  of  the]  great  Benedictine 
monastery  of  Monserrat  in  Spain  had  the  custom 
of  venerating  with  particular  devotion  the  mystery 
of  the  Flight  into  Egypt. 

His  heart  especially  grieved  at  all  St.  Joseph  had 
to  suffer  when  he  had  to  fly  in  such  great  poverty 
and  haste  with  Jesus  and  Mary  into  a  strange  and 
idolatrous  country.  It  once  happened  that  his 


ST.  j  seph’s  help. 


191 


brother  had  lo  return  to  his  monastery  from  a 
great  distance.  Already  the  shadows  of  evening 
were  falling,  it  began  to  grow  dark,  and  the  monas¬ 
tery  was  still  far  off.  Suddenly  he  perceived  that 
he  had  lost  his  way,  and  he  feared  that  he  should 
have  to  spend  the  night  in  the  open  air,  surrounded 
by  dangerous  precipices ;  and  it  was  the  more  sad 
as  to  the  dangers  of  the  mountains  was  added  the 
fear  of  the  wild  beasts  which  he  knew  infested 
those  parts. 

All  of  a  sudden,  whilst  he  was  full  of  those  anx 
ious  thoughts,  he  saw  not  far  off  a  man,  who  led  a 
donkey  by  a  bridle.  Seated  on  its  back  was  a  lady 
of  exceedingly  great  beauty,  with  a  most  noble  and 
majestic  appearance.  In  her  arms  rested  a  little 
sleeping  child.  The  Brother  hastened  forward  to 
meet  the  stranger  in  order  to  ask  him  to  direct  him 
in  the  right  way.  But  his  joy  at  this  sight  in¬ 
creased  still  more,  and  was  mixed  with  sweet  con¬ 
solation,  as  the  unknown  man  bade  him  follow  him, 
and  promised  to  guide  him  to  the  monastery. 

Whilst  they  pursued  their  way  conversations  of 
wonderful  unction  refreshed  the  heart  of  the 
Brother,  but  scarcely  was  the  monastery  gate  in 
view  than  suddenly  the  guide  and  his  family  disap¬ 
peared  from  before  his  eyes  and  nowhere  was  the 
least  trace  of  them  to  be  discovered.  But  in  the 
heart  of  the  Brother  awcke  the  joyful  conviction 
that  St.  Joseph  himself  had  been  his  guide  and 
that  he  had  rewarded  in  this  manner  his  devotion 
to  his  sorrow  in  the  mystery  of  the  Flight  into 
Egypt. 


192 


st.  Joseph’s  help. 


6.  A  Beautiful  Death  of  a  Faithful  Client  of 

St.  Joseph. 

The  venerable  Franciscan  nun,  Prudeniia  Zag- 
noni,  who  was  renowned  for  her  extraordinary 
virtues,  had  during  her  whole  life  a  most  fervent 
devotion  to  St.  Joseph.  In  return,  at  her  death 
she  received  an  exceeding  great  favor;  for  the 
Saint  appeared  to  her  and  assisted  her  in  her 
agony.  In  order  to  give  her  still  more  consolation 
he  held  in  his  arms  Him  Who  is  the  joy  of  the 
angels,  the  Divine  Child  Jesus. 

The  good  nun  drew  from  this  sight  the  sweetest 
consolation  and  delight,  and  the  nuns  who  were 
present  assisting  at  her  agony  were  much  touched 
as  they  heard  her  conversing  now  with  St.  Joseph 
and  now  with  the  Divine  Child,  thanking  them  for 
their  visit,  and  declaring  that  she  tasted  before¬ 
hand  the  joys  of  Paradise. 

From  her  looks  and  gestures  it  was  evident  to 
all  around  that  St.  Joseph  had  given  her  the  Divine 
Child  to  caress  in  her  arms,  thus  giving  to  his  faith¬ 
ful  servant  the  highest  proof  of  his  favor  that  he 
was  able  in  the  moment  of  her  greatest  need  and 
extremity. 

7.  St.  Joseph  a  Master  cf  the  Interior  Life. 

A  Father  of  the  Society  ol  Jesus,  being  on  a 
journey,  met  one  day  a  young  man  with  whom  he 
entered  into  conversation.  He  very  soon  recog  - 
nized  in  him  a  chosen  soul,  rich  in  graces  and  rare 
gifts,  so  that  he  could  not  remember  ever  to  have 
found  a  soul  more  advanced  in  perfection. 


St.  Joseph's  help. 


193 


But  his  astonishment  increased  as  he  learned  that 
no  one  had  ever  instructed  the  young  man ;  yet  he 
had  heard  him  speaking  on  the  most  sublime  sub¬ 
jects  like  a  saint  and  a  theologian.  As  the  Father 
could  not  understated  how  this  could  be,  he  asked 
the  young  man  where  he  had  gained  this  wisdom 
and  spiritual  knowledge. 

“Ten  years  ago,”  he  replied,  “God  inspired  me 
to  choose  St.  Joseph  for  my  patron  saint  and  guide; 
all  that  I  have  learnt  has  been  from  him.” 

Then  he  spoke  of  the  sanctity  of  the  Foster- 
Father  of  Jesus,  and  concluded  his  conversation 
with  the  assurance  that  this  saint  was  the  special 
guide  and  protector  of  these  souls,  who  led  a  hid¬ 
den  and  interior  life. 

8.  How  St.  Joseph  Rewards  those  who  Promote 

his  Honor 

When  Father  Lallemant  was  rector  ©f  the  Jesuit 
College  at  Bourges,  he  called  two  ©f  the  young  pro¬ 
fessors  and  promised  each  of  them  that  they  should 
receive  that  grace  which  they  most  desired,  if  they 
would  exhort  their  scholars  to  generate  St.  Joseph, 
and  offer  him  such  particular  homage  on  his  feast, 
which  was  just  then  approaching.  The  two  pro¬ 
fessors  Joyfully  agreed  to  this  proposal,  and  they 
so  zealously  encouraged  the  scholars  that  on  the 
feast  of  St.  Joseph  both  classes  received  Holy 
Communion  in  his  honor,  besides  performing  other 
practices  of  devotion. 

On  the  same  day,  the  two  professors  went  to  the 
Father  Rector,  and  revealed  to  him  secretly  the 
particular  grace  they  were  each  desirous  to  receive. 


194 


ST.  Joseph’s  help. 


The  fir^t  was  the  celebrated  Father  Nouet,  who  de¬ 
sired  the  grace  to  be  able  to  write  and  to  speak 
worthily  of  our  Divine  Saviour.  It  is  not  known 
what  grace  the  sec  and  asked  for,  but  it  is  known 
for  certain  that  he,  as  well  as  Father  Nouet,  ob¬ 
tained  what  he  desired. 

THE  END. 


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